I have never liked running, so why am I adding running to my fitness plan?

I’ve been exercising fairly regularly for the past 2 -3 years and it’s definitely paying off. I have more energy, I’m sleeping better and I feel younger. My workouts in these past few years having included mainly walking and working out in the gym with weights and floor exercises. Working with weights took getting used to. It had been a while since I’d been in a gym and working out with weights. Instagram taught me a lot. There are so many women with fitness accounts to learn from and to be inspired by. I also watched what the others at the gym were doing, and tried to copy them, if I found what they were doing was interesting. I was competing with myself, no one else, but feeding off their workouts. I wanted to beat my personal best whenever possible. I was not trying to break a world record in the plank like this amazing woman in Calgary, but seeing the changes in my body and being able to lift heavier weights over time has been motivating. I want to feel strong and I also want to look strong.

What was missing from my workouts was more intense cardio. So I started jogging, first at the gym on the treadmill and recently, as the weather has started to warm up, outdoors. I am surprised at how much I am enjoying running, since it has never been something I’ve naturally gravitated to in the past. I think the main reasons are that I am not training for a specific run, so I’m more relaxed. Secondly, I’ve changed my running style to more of a toe-heel strike, rather than heel-toe. The heel-toe is not good for my feet and hips. So far, I’ve not felt the same irritation and even pain in my feet and hips that I used to feel when I tried to run. And thirdly, I have just started monitoring my heart rate, which I learned about from one of my children.

In the article, The Secrets of Heart Rate Training, Balavan, a running coach, discusses how this training approach works. He writes about the 80-20 approach to training. 80% of your workouts should be at a low intensity and 20% at a high intensity. I am trying to train my heart rate to stay at a lower beats per minute (BPM) while running, rather than at the max heart rate, where it naturally wants to go. I have a “smart” watch which I use to monitor my heart rate as I run.

My runs end up more of a run – walk. Actually a slow jog – quick walk is a better description. I am trying to train my heart rate to stay at or lower than 65% of my max heart rate. When my heart rate hits the max BMP of 65%, I start walking until the BPM goes down and then start running again. Change comes slowly so you have to have patience. In the article, Balavan writes that it can take 3 – 6 months to train your heart rate to stay within the rate you want.

Are you a runner? What do you love about running? If you’re not a runner, what exercises do you do to get your heart racing?

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