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    The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners
    The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners
    The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners
    Ebook161 pages2 hours

    The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners

    By Duncan Larkin and Mike Moreno

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    About this ebook

    The 30-Minute Runner takes a simplified approach to training, which is to break down everything into one thirty-minute session per day—a manageable segment for first-time runners and those who may be in decent shape but lead incredibly busy lives. Everything in the book—including training schedules, techniques, and tips—is put forth purely in terms of minutes spent running, without any goal paces to worry about, mileage to keep track of, or anything to measure other than time spent out on the roads and trails. The book focuses on how to maximize those thirty critical minutes in order to achieve two primary goals: shedding extra pounds and completing a 5K race. Author Duncan Larkin, a certified Army Master Fitness Trainer, also covers topics like running for new moms, single-parent training, how to prepare to run your first race, race-day tips, how to train while on business travel, and taking it to the next level—running forty-five and sixty minutes a day (10K and half-marathon schedules). In addition to the running-based guidelines, The 30-Minute Runner also offers nutritional advice and core exercises that complement the thirty-minute runs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateJan 2, 2018
    ISBN9781510721333
    The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners
    Author

    Duncan Larkin

    Duncan Larkin has covered the sport of running for more than a decade. He’s a certified Army Master Fitness Trainer and was a top-300 American marathoner back in 2006. He has won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race and the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon. His first book, Run Simple, was published in 2012. Duncan writes about fitness for Outside Magazine, Competitor Magazine, Runner’s World, ESPN, and Running Times.

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      Book preview

      The 30-Minute Runner - Duncan Larkin

      Chapter 1

      COMMIT

      Congratulations on taking the first step towards wellness. For one reason or another, you’ve put this book into your hands. Why? Because you seek change. Something is missing in your life. You want to improve your inner and outer beauty. You want to be well. You want to feel better about yourself. You don’t want to just exist; you want to thrive.

      You know that life can be about so much more if you’re physically and mentally healthier. If you can run (or walk) 30 minutes a day, that day will mean something. You’ll have accomplished something. You’ll gain confidence. And after you put in more miles, you’ll lose weight and begin to eat healthier. Life will be more fulfilling than it was.

      So here you are on the verge of making a lasting change to your life. It’s not easy to take that first step. It’s far easier to keep those resolutions in your head—to say to yourself that you’ll commit to losing weight and embracing a healthier way of life next week or next month—some other time, but not today. You see runners out on the roads and you’ve imagined yourself as one, but not today. Today is about everything else going on in your busy life, and tomorrow is that time when things will magically turn around, right?

      But here you are. You’ve actually done something to turn those good thoughts into action; you’ve gone and found a book—the right book—to spur you to action.

      Congratulations!

      It may not seem like much. You aren’t sweating or sore from reading a few sentences; you aren’t gutting through the last mile of your first training run, but trust me, what you are doing now is just as important, so don’t stop. Go, go, go—full speed ahead. Read on. Do what you’ve been unable to do thus far: commit to making a healthy change.

      First things first: this is a book for all types of beginners. I didn’t write it just for the clinically obese or for those who’ve never donned a pair of running shoes. It simply is a book for busy people who want to learn how to run. It can also be for those who used to run and need to get back into shape. It’s a book that justifies and explains all the wondrous things that 30 minutes of daily running, or walking if need be, can do for your mind and body and how you can make the best of this magic half hour. It’s not your typical how-to running book, though, which means I’m not going to overwhelm you with pages and pages of physiology behind the sport and a bunch of complicated training schedules that leave you scratching your head. I want this book to be a quick read but also something that stays close by for those difficult moments when you need motivation and education—when the proverbial wind is out of your sails.

      I’ve structured this book into six chapters based on the key elements required of you to transform into a happy and healthy 30-minute-a-day runner. You’ll notice that these elements are all action verbs that runners need to have in their daily lexicon: commit, learn, train, conquer, sustain, and thrive. After you’ve read the last page, you should have a basic understanding of what running is, how your body reacts to the stresses and strains of running (Learn), what you need to do daily to improve your running (Train), how to power through when motivation is flagging (Conquer), what you need to do to make it across the finish line in your first 5K race (Sustain), and how to make running a part of your life for the rest of your life (Thrive). This book will equip you with all the basics you need to build up from zero minutes to 30 minutes for three days or more a week.

      So let’s start with the book’s first principle: Commit. You already have this book in your hands and I’ve already congratulated you for turning the first few pages, but now it’s time to do something you probably didn’t expect in a running book: I’m going to make you sign a contract. The deal you are about to make is with yourself. I’m just the person who’s drawn up the terms for you. You may be scratching your head and wondering why I’m asking you to sign a contract with yourself. This may seem completely crazy, but if you’ve ever embarked on something big—whether it be getting married or buying a house—you’ve got to eventually stare at a piece of paper that requires a deep breath, some careful consideration, and a confident signature. A formal contract provides that all-important structure to ensure that you hold up your end of the bargain. In this case, you’re going to hold up your end of the bargain while battling against the forces of self-doubt, excuses, and just plain laziness, which are the three culprits that get in the way of our wellness. This important commitment is going to be between your mind and your body. Both the mind and the body have to work together in order to succeed as a runner. And there will inevitably be a time when one or both will want out of the deal. That’s why you’ve got this contract. It specifically includes the following elements and conditions:

      Perseverance: By signing this contract, you will commit to enduring through struggle and strife. The mind will come up with a million reasons and excuses why 30 minutes of daily running or walking isn’t a priority. Out on the roads, it will try to talk you into quitting, but you have to persevere. You have to realize that you can make it—and you will.

      Passion: Your name on the dotted line means that you are making a total commitment to living a healthier life. And a total commitment can’t happen without passion. Recognize that the moment you take to the roads or trails for your first run you are forever a runner, and no one can take that away from you. From that point forward, you commit to embrace the sport for everything that it is and you learn as much as you can about it. You seek improvement with a smile on your face and will never forget that the darkness that is pain and suffering is ended with the dawning of progress.

      Patience: The body doesn’t change overnight. The results of your hard work will pay off at some point, but that could be a long time, depending on how you’ve been taking care of yourself up till now. You have to trust that this change will happen. And with trust must come a mind-set to reject the notion that wellness has nothing to do with instant gratification. You have to slowly put in the time and the work to realize the results.

      Prioritization: Running isn’t magic. You have to simply get out and do it—nearly every day, working up to 30 minutes—in order to improve. All of us lead incredibly busy lives, and with a busy life comes prioritization. Running and wellness have to be daily priorities just as eating, drinking, and sleeping are. Your signature to this contract indicates you are going to prioritize your running. You won’t make excuses; you’ll make it happen, because you believe in yourself.

      Once you have signed the contract, I want you to cut it out of this book and post it up somewhere prominent—a place that you will see every day so that you can remind yourself of the important journey you’re on. Perhaps tape it up on your bathroom mirror so that you can see it every day. Or go buy a frame for it and hang it on your wall. Make this document something you’re proud of. Show it to your friends and loved ones. Brag about it, because the day that you complete your first 5K with your head held high will be the day that all that work will have been for something good and decent.

      30-Minute Daily Running Contract

      I, , hereby attest that on I signed a contract with myself to run or walk at least 30 minutes a day for as many days of the week as I can. My signature on this document attests to my perseverance, passion, patience, and prioritization to improve my health and make a commitment to wellness. On I am planning to run my first 5K. I am aiming to run it in .

      Signed,

      Shifting Your Equilibrium

      With your contract in hand, you should now know something about what it means to make such an important change in your life like this. Any lifestyle change, from quitting smoking to a New Year’s resolution like committing to shed a few pounds, requires what I call shifting the equilibrium. Webster’s dictionary defines equilibrium as a state of balance between opposing forces. If you haven’t run before, think of this state as where you are now. Imagine your physical equilibrium as your daily routine that’s comprised of three key components—what and how much you eat, how much and how frequently you exercise, and how much you sleep.

      By picking up this book, you most likely aren’t satisfied with your weight and your fitness, but yet you have settled into your unique routine. This is your personal equilibrium.

      Take a few minutes to think about your current equilibrium by answering the following 10 questions:

      The number of minutes you exercise every day:

      The number of days a week that you exercise:

      Describe your eating habits:

      What types of food do you eat most often?

      How often do you snack during the day?

      What kind of snacks do you eat?

      How much water do you drink?

      How much sleep do you get per night?

      Estimate how many hours a day that you are sedentary (watching screens or sitting at your desk):

      How many extra pounds would you like to lose thanks to running?

      For better or worse, what you’ve just written out is your routine. It’s YOU. It’s your personal equilibrium. Over time, this routine has most likely led to your current state.

      But given the fact that you now have this book in your hands, you probably want to be healthier. You want to run for at least 30 minutes a day. Maybe you want to finish your first 5K. In order to do this, you need to shift your equilibrium. Bear in mind that to do this, you are going to have to deal with opposing forces. In other words, becoming a first-time 5K runner means you are going to encounter some serious resistance.

      This resistance, or friction, stops most of us in our tracks. It’s why we eventually quit diets and resume unhealthy habits a few weeks after January 1.

      Friction hurts, so buckle up and get ready.

      The only way you can shift your equilibrium is to be disciplined and do the work; the work does not get done by itself. This means making the right choices when you eat, getting to bed early when you’d like to stay up, and showing up on the roads, tracks, or trails to do the workout when you’d much rather be in bed or binge-watching your favorite show in front of your iPad.

      At first when you begin this shift, your body will rebel. It is going to feel strange to you. If you’ve

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