Way to go for all of you in the running training program who have made it through Week 2! I hope that you are feeling a bit stronger and less sore from your runs and that you are beginning to find that you are getting fitter. The first few weeks of starting any new fitness routine are generally the hardest as your body gets used to the effort. From Week 2 you should have started to get your turn over going faster with some pick up runs and for this next week we are going to still include those but add in a long run. It is best to only add in one new stimulus each week in order to keep you moving in the right direction and not wind up injured.

The goal of Week 3 is to get one of your runs at least 5 to 10 minutes longer than any of the runs you've done thus far. A long run is a great way to build your base strength and increase endurance. Further it will burn more calories and should you be looking to lose weight that is going to help you to do so. For this week you will still have two runs that are pick ups, one that is a long run, and the two other days will be those of either easy runs or cross training days. If you have only been doing three days of running up until this point, keep it as such for one more week. If you have been doing mixtures of fast walking and running or jogging keep trying to increase the amount of time running and less of walking and hopefully you will be jogging the entire time soon!

Monday: Day of rest or light weights
Tuesday: Pick up run for 25-45 minutes with 3 to 6 strides
Wednesday: Easy run or cross train for 25-45 minutes
Thursday: Easy run or cross train for 25-45 minutes
Friday: Pick up run for 25-45 minutes with 3 to 6 strides
Saturday: Day of rest or light weights
Sunday: Long run for 30-55 minutes

Make sure you're doing a good warm-up and easing into your paces and finish each run feeling strong. Come back for more tips and of course the next week of training!

Week 4