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[[File:Three Runners 5802443 s.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Running with friends.]]Important - if you have Running, like any concerns what so ever about form of exercise, talk to your doctor before starting. In fact, you should probably chat to your doctor anyway, just needs to be surestarted with care. An annual medical The best approach for many people is important for your long term healthto introduce running gradually, so that is a great opportunity using an [[Introduction to chat about exercise planningInterval Training|Interval Training]] approach of mixing running and walking.=Introduction=Not surprisingly, I'm a big fan of running as a way of keeping fit and healthy. But starting to run is not easy, and advice to 'just go out and run' can be counterproductive. Humans are built to run [1], but there is a level of fitness required before running is practical.=Cautions=If you have any concerns about the risks of exercise, talk to your doctor before starting. An annual medical is important for your long term health, so that is a great opportunity to chat to your doctor about your exercise plans.=Beginners Plan=Start This plan is intended to get you to the point where you can run 30 minutes comfortably and effectively. ==Baseline fitness==Before you do any running, you should start by walking. If you are unfit, walking can be sufficient training to raise your fitnesslevel. I would advise anyone who wants to run to be able First, check you can to walk 2 miles in about 30 minutes before starting. This is based on the idea that walking is more efficient than running up to about 13-14 min/mile pace [2]<ref name="Kram-1997"/>. So running slower than 14 min/mile pace is unproductive; you are better off walking. If you can't walk 2 miles in 30 minutes, focus on walking and building up to that pace. You should build up to walking at that pace over a few minutes as a [[Warmup]].==Incremental Run/Walk==So, once you've reached the point of walking 2 miles in 30 minutes (or verified you can do it), what next? Introduce introduce the running gradually. Start off with two one minute runs in the 30 minutes - ; run 1, walk 14, run 1, walk 14 (2x1R:14W). Note: Keep Try to keep the walking pace at 15 min/mile pace - that's , which is a fast walk. Also, the As that ratio of running pace should be faster than the to walking pace; not a sprint, but a little faster. As that becomes comfortable, gradually shift from walking to running - 2x2R:13W, 2x3R:12W etc. This will become 2x14R:1W. Dropping the last minute walk can be hard, and is not critical. You may prefer to extend the time rather than dropping the walk, so 3x14R:1W for instance for 45 minutes exercise.Don't forget to do a short [[Warmup]] before the 30 minutes, starting off with a moderate walk and building up to the right pace over a few minutes. {| class="wikitable"!Walk!!Run!!Walk!!Run!!Notes|-|30||0||||||Baseline 30 min walk|-|14||1||14||1|||-|13||2||13||2|||-|12||3||12||3|||-|11||4||11||4|||-|10||5||10||5|||-|9||6||9||6|||-|8||7||8||7|||-|7||8||5||8||Crossover to more running than walking|-|6||9||6||9|||-|5||10||5||10|||-|4||11||4||11|||-|3||12||3||12|||-|2||13||2||13|||-|1||14||1||14||Dropping this last minute of walking can be tricky.|-|||30|||||||-|}What if you are not a runner, but quite fit? I would suggest that you start with the run/walk approach anyway. Your fitness should allow you to progress up the scale to 30 minutes of running quite quickly, while reducing the risk of injury. You could start with a different ratio (say 2x4R:11W) =Running Pace =The pace of your running needs to be fast enough to be smooth and efficient. It must be faster than the walking pace, and progress more quickly (2x6Rshould be 12:9W00 min/mile or faster. However, 2x8R:7Wdon't go too fast; it must not be a sprint, etc) if you feel confidentor even a hard running pace.=Running Form=How often should you A simple way of learning to run? Is you may know from previous posts, I am a believer in 'less is more'to stand still, recommending then gradually lean forward until you have to start running four days per weekto prevent falling over. A lot This will depend naturally put your weight over the front part of your foot, rather than landing on your fitness level howeverheels. This forward lean should come from your whole body leaning forward rather than bending at the waist. If you are reasonably fit and just adjusting Keep your [[Arm Position|arms high]]; your arms should swing naturally as a counterbalance to your running, you may motion. You don't need to run more days per weekconsciously drive your arms; just let them move naturally and freely. Don't try to stretch forward with your legs to lengthen your stride, as the stress is not sufficient to require 48 hours recoverybut have your feet land roughly under your hips. Overall though, I would suggest you are better off running 4 days/week and raising the intensity of the runs rather than running more daysYour [[Cadence]] should be high.=Rate of Progress=How fast should you shift from walking to running? Listen to your body; if the level of stress is very low, then shifting to more running is good. Remember that shifting to running more quickly may increase your fitness more rapidly, but it will also increase the possibility of injury. 'Fatigue is cumulative'. One of the big problems in changing your exercise level is Remember that fatigue is cumulative , and it accumulates over much longer periods of time than that you realizemay expect. The fatigue in your body can be the result of training you did 2-3 weeks ago. That means you can raise your level of exercise dramatically and keep it up for a week or two, then suffer some level of failure. One rule of thumb with marathon training is to only raise your mileage every two weeks. This can also apply to initial running as well; it is better to be cautious. As an example=How Often to Run?=How often should you run? Is you may know from previous posts, I went from about 55 miles/week to 85 miles am a believer in 'less is more', recommending running four days per week and I was fine for about a month. Then the cumulative fatigue caught up with me A lot will depend on your fitness level however. If you are reasonably fit and I had just adjusting to cut back down running, you may need to about 65 miles run more days per week, as the stress is not sufficient to require 48 hours recovery. Overall though, I've built it back up would suggest you are better off running 3 to 85 miles4 days/weekand raising the intensity of the runs rather than running more days.=Running with others?=Starting to run with someone else can make a big difference to your [[Motivation]]. However, but it's taken me about 10 months to truly adapt remember that their level of fitness and their rate of progress might be quite different to the higher mileageyours.=Running and Obesity=
Running puts stress on the body, and if you are too overweight, your body may not cope well with this additional stress. I suspect that being able to walk 2 miles in 30 minutes will be indicative of a body that can begin to run, but I could be wrong. If you are significantly overweight, you may be better off focusing on walking and weight loss before you start running.
=References=[1] Running 'key to human evolution'<references>[http://news.bbc.co<ref name="Kram-1997">{{Cite journal | last1 = Kram | first1 = R.uk/2/hi/health/4021811| last2 = Domingo | first2 = A.stm http://news| last3 = Ferris | first3 = DP.bbc| last4 = Ferris | first4 = DP.co| title = Effect of reduced gravity on the preferred walk-run transition speed.uk/2/hi/health| journal = J Exp Biol | volume = 200 | issue = Pt 4 | pages = 821-6 | month = Feb | year = 1997 | doi = | PMID = 9076966 }}</4021811.stm]ref>[2]Running Efficiency[http:<//www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0950.htm http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0950.htm]references>