What is the best program for a beginner runner?
612567
first you must trace a running circuit of a known length.for a beginner a mile will do.\nyou measure the time it takes you to do that circuit and note it on a piece of paper.note the date,hour,length of the circuit ,the time that took you to do it.do this twice a week the first 4 weeks then add a another run each week until you get to 5 times a week.allow yourself 2 days rest every week.before you begin running spend 10 minutes stretching and warming your muscles.after running don't sit(!) keep walking until you catch your breath.then stretch again to help your muscles cool.drink water ,as much as you need.if you run by day put a hat on your head.on the piece of paper you will be able to see your progress .normally if done correctly  you'll make better and better time from one week to another until you reach the speed of light.bon courage!
549161
the most important thing is to keep running on a regular basis. try to build up your endurance first, then speed. try to run at least 5 days/week. increase your total weekly distance/time by 5-10% per week, with a week of staying the same about once a month to help keep your body from overtraining. work on your endurance by doing a long run once a week; if your race distance is 2.1 miles, your long run should be at least 5 miles with 10 miles running nonstop being ideal. you can also do a variety of flexibility and speed drills such as fast feet (take very short steps as fast as possible over a certain distance, maybe 50 yds), high knees (exaggerate the height of your knee as you walk/jog; basically try to bring your knees up to your chest, same distance as fast feet), and striders (try to take the longest strides you can over the same distance as before; try to imagine yourself leaping like an antelope). intervals/fartleks - run at a comfortable pace, then go faster for a time, maybe a minute, then back to comfy pace; cycle fast/slow for 20-30 min. repeats - choose a distance, maybe 200 yds to 1/2 mile, and run it at full speed; walk/jog until you're ready to do it again; ~5 should be a good workout with a long warmup and cooldown (at least 15 min jog each for warmup and cooldown). stretch after running or at least after a warmup of no less than 5 minutes or you'll risk a greater chance of injury. don't do speed work more than twice a week unless you're in racing shape. for that matter, don't do much speed work when you're increasing your base/weekly mileage. There's a link to a comprehensive running website below that includes forums. Feel free to ask away and you'll get lots of advice; just be careful to weed out the bad advice you'll sometimes get.
551848
go for jog, daily minimum 20 min. with maintaining hearbeat rate  ( age +100) per miniute. \nMethod : - try warmup for 1st min., & jog with low pace for further 2 min, wihtin that period your body gets warmed. After that last 1 min jog with maximum speed . Repeat the sequence for next 20 min.\n ANd MAIL ME THE Results.
411776
Start with a combination of running and walking in the beginning.  A good program for this is the "couch to 5K" plan:  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml\n\nBy the way, you can get a very good workout on the elliptical.  Just keep the intensity up and you can burn almost as many calories as running.  It might be worth trying if you really prefer the elliptical.
1054176
Now I can - I had never run before this year and I joined a group called Team In Training - they actually train you to run in a marathon within a few months time.  It's a set regimen and they build you up to running slowly.  \n\nI'm not professing to be a fast runner - purpose of our training was endurance not speed.  Still, it was a great program.
20166
I answered a similar question before. here was my answer:\n\nwell, that all depends on what your age and experience level is, and wether you're shooting for a specific time or just trying to finish.\n\nI've done 4 marathons, with my best finish being 3:01 at the LA Marathon (a tough course). My training was geared towards a competitive person going for a good time. I ran between 65–80 miles a week.\n\nI'm guessing you are starting out, and this is probably your first marathon. here is my general advice (you should supplement it with other research to tailor it specifically for your needs):\n\ngive yourself 5–6 months to train. 6 if you are starting from zero. what you will be doing is training your body to handle all the mileage. start slow. buy yourself a heart rate monitor and use it religiously. it will be your good friend during your training. you should generally be running at about 70% of your max heartrate (HR). My max was about 200 bpm, so most of my runs were around 140–150 bpm. Estimate what your max is. (there are a couple ways of doing that, like subtracting your age from 227). stay within your 70% zone. that zone is going to feel painfully slow at first, maybe even close to walking. but as your conditioning improves, you will start to run faster at the same HR.\n\nassuming you are starting from zero, start running 3 miles, 3x a week. the week after, make it 4x a week. the week after, make one of those days a longer run of 5 miles. assuming the race you've picked is on a sunday (most are), your long runs should be on sundays. these will become your most important runs.\n\nyou should aim to run no less than 5 days a week, and 6 is better. at first, you may only be running 3-4 days a week, but you should slowly work your way up to 5 and 6 days.\n\nin your training, a good rule of thumb is to increase your mileage by 10% every week. So if you do 20 miles one week, do 22-23 the next, and so on. everyone is different about how much mileage they can handle, but if you do it slowly, you should be able to handle 50 miles a week at your peak. I would recommend no less for a marathon. try to get a good 8 weeks at this peak mileage, during which your long runs will be about 16-22 miles. do about 2-3 20+ mile runs to get used to the longer distances. be sure to eat and drink during these runs, or you will be in a world of hurt.\n\nevery three weeks, step down the training. so for example, do weeks of 20, 23, and 26. then do one week at 18. then start again at 26 and ramp up again. these intermittent weeks of lower mileage give your body a chance to catch up and adapt to the training. you must realize that your body will be going through physical changes during your training, like losing weight and improving cardiovascular fitness. you have to give your body time to adapt.\n\nIMPORTANT: the temptation to run too fast or build up mileage too quickly is dangerous! you may feel bored, but 6 months is a long time. you need to take it slow and let your body get used to the mileage. I guarantee there will be weeks when you feel very sore, and this is your body adapting to the training. listen to your body! a little soreness is normal, but pain is not. also, if both legs/knees/ankles are sore, that's a good sign. if only one hurts, this could be an injury in the making, so be careful.\n\nthat should get you going pretty well. use this as a starting point and tailor your training. if you can handle it, do more mileage. listen to your body. there's no use running when you're hurt or sick (I've broken this rule countless times, you just end up NOT running for a long time, eventually)\n\ngood luck.
405706
Actually the very best program for anyone is simply walking.  Take a walk. Work at increasing the time, distance walking.  This is the easiest and healthiest exercise there is.  And it is never a waste of time.\n\nMost importantanly, a sound mind in a sound body.  When we exercise we are keeping our body fit and trim.  The key is to do this regularly, like every day.
921156
Coming from someone in the Army whose weakness is running as well, I can suggest a few things that have helped me to bring down my run time.  Obviously the only way you can get better at something is to practice it over and over again.  I found a couple of things that have helped me bring down my run time.  I would usually break up the week and plan on doing a longer run one day (say 3-5 miles in the beginning).  Another day I would run two miles on a track to warm up and then run what is called a fartlek run.  See the link and search for the description.  The third day I would do something like an interval run.  Again, see the description in the FM.  The biggest thing I think is to also give your legs a day off in between.  Running heavy every other day seems to work well from my perspective.  The only other suggestion I have is for you to find someone who runs a little bit faster than you and run with them on a constant basis.  If you have someone to keep up with, it will make you run faster.  If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me.
1005636
Intervals.  \nDepending on how far you can run now, run for short periods, then walk for a time period equal to or less than the time you ran, then run again, and repeat for a number of times you can handle.  You can progressively increase the run time/distance relative to the walk time/distance.  I've used these types of intervals for running 1/4 miles, up to 8 per workout.  (run a 1/4, walk a 1/4, till you can run a half mile or more at a time.  when you get up to a half mile, you should be recovering in less than a 1/4, so your distance/time ratio will change.  After a while, you can use hard run light run intervals as well (no walking).  These interval sessions will improve your distance endurance rather quickly, so don't be afraid to make adjustments as you go along.  I typically use intervals to increase speed/pace (for 2 mile runs), but in the beginning, you can use them to increase distance while maintaining a slower pace.\nGood Luck!\nSergeant Major Estorga
846238
You should be able to train for one in 4 months go to www.runnersworld.com. They have a great program that designs to your pace also great tips on traing, nutrition and a lot more. The program is free and it ranges from the beginner to the Elite runner
345247
It's called DOS.\n\nMaybe you should have Homestar Runner write you a program in DOS, or maybe ask Coach Z.  He's the barrm!
250048
There are some great programs for first-timers.  If you would like to receive some more information on these, please contact me at timothy.kazee@americanhm. com.  I would be more than happy to give you some more information.\n\n\nTim Kazee
736042
you can get training schedules ranging from beginners to advanced. Your level of endurance and your time till your race matters though. Based on your current level (5k) every other day i would say try running every day, even if it is just 1-2 miles (3-4km) and then going for your long run once a week at 7-8km right now. your objective right now should be to get your cumulative mileage up (miles per week). Once you reach a level where you can run every day and your long runs are about 7-8miles (15km). That is where the benchmark runs start. Good benchmark runs are 12milers, 15milers, and 20milers...DON'T PASS 20 Miles.\n\nOn  race day the last 6 miles are the harderst but it's mostly mental.\n\nMentioning 'mental', the whole objective of your long runs is mental because this is where your mental training comes into play. Your long run is the one which really challenges you every week and keeps you motivated to push further the next weeks (weekends is a good time for your long runs cause you can keep a steady routine for the day ie. breakfast, water, nap after leaving unexpected stuff to a minimum). \n\nAnyways for the moment just get out there and really increase your mileage because at the mid point of your training you should be running 5miles back to back.
823720
Tough call.  There is no wrong answer.  You are wise to look at cross-training, and cutting back mileage.\n\nSpend some time on your core strength and flexibility in the gym.  Work on strengthening your midsection and lower back.  Abs and hip flexors are the unsung heroes of distance runners.\n\nCycling, swimming (presumably indoors), and anything else to get in your cardio is good.  Really, given the holidays, anything you will do regularly is fine.  You can stay in shape with any activity of this type.  Don't obsess with staying in your peak form over the winter.  Your body needs rest and time to rebuild.\n\nIf you can tolerate pilates or yoga consistently, a serious commitment to flexibility will yield some major improvements next season, and keep you injury free.\n\nYou might look at an indoor trainer for your bike.  They are pretty reasonable, and you can ride in your livingroom, as hard as you want.  They run anwhere from $50 on up...
1086501
Keep it mixed and varied, that way your body isn't bored and you get fitter and slimmer at a faster rate. Running is good too. Pilates is excellent for the core muscles and overall strength, although it's difficult at first.\n\nHave fun.
474432
Here are some good programs\n\nJust go to the bottom of the page and click begginner, intermediate, advanced etc. It gives you what to do to prepare for that 21k.\n\nhttp://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/144.shtml
882464
early Pre-Season, use circuit training and Fitness Triangles for strength and fitness. circuits consist of six stations: push-ups, crunches, leg lifts, lunges, dips and a running station (usually 800-meters). start by doing 25 push-ups then jog to the next station, to do 20 crunches then jog to the next station and do 15 leg lifts. Lunges 10 on each leg then quickly jog to the bleachers to do 8 to 10 dips just before starting 800-meter run at 5k race pace. repeat 4 to 6 times for a complete workout. The main idea is to keep the heart rate up and the recovery at a minimum. No walking is allowed and quality of the exercise is stressed. A warm-up of 3 to 4 miles always before starting on the first circuit.\n\nOn the track, focus on longer types of intervals of various lengths. concentrate on 1000m- repeats; (every other day)a session could consist of \nDay 1\n3 or 4 x 1000 \nand 2 x 400. \nDay 2\n2X660\n2X220At the end of each session, try to add a fast and short interval to work on ability to kick while tired. \n\nYou have to bring good basic speed (if not sprint speed) to the event. \n You have to be able to run the last 45-50% (350-400 meters) of the race anaerobically. \n You have to be able to race and maneuver in traffic.