Hey! Jogging is easy
Why? Because you, or rather your body, is simply not up to it... yet.
Your circulatory system first has to adapt to the unaccustomed load.
You can't simply take it to a mechanic and say, "Give the heart a quick
tune up, check the valves, put a new air filter in the lungs - oh, and
don't forget the cholesterol metabolism." No, science hasn't reached
that stage yet. Your body will just have to adapt on its own, slowly
and step by step, from one jog to the next. The tools to make your
organism function better - and wonderful tools they are, with billions
of parts - are your legs. And you're holding the operator's guide to
them in your hands right now.
What's your performance capacity?
Taking stock.
The best way of finding out your exact performance capacity is to ask
your doctor when he or she gives you a physical. But no matter how
important a medical examination might be, I can't resist giving you a
simple scale with which you can check your present physical condition.
You can be content with your level of performance if, on the very first
day, you can run ten minutes without stopping and without strain. If
you can, you have no reason to be dissatisfied; in fact, you will be one
of the exceptions, especially if you are already middle-aged. If you can't
- if you could only manage the first ten minutes with a lot of huffing and
puffing - then you can already look forward to the free gift you will be
receiving within the next few weeks: the return of your lost physical
condition. After the six months we will be spending together, you'll
come to know what the word "fitness" really means. Until then, I won't
lose sight of you and will always be there at your side when you go for
a run.
To begin with I'll be leading you in small steps up to the 30 minute mark.
Your boundless enthusiasm will no doubt make this an easy goal to reach,
but be prepared to wipe a bit of sweat from your brow. The rewards are
worth the effort. There's something special about that first half hour -
only thirty minutes on the clock, but a peak moment in your life. By
then you'll be able to run two to three miles at a stretch. Gradually you'll
leave the novice stage, and within a couple of weeks thirty minutes of
running will seem like kid's stuff. Why is this bound to happen? The
answer is simple: in those few weeks your body will adjust itself to
accommodate a thirty-minute workload of running. It is the ability of
your heart and circulatory system to adapt to these first efforts that, in
no time at all, makes running so simple. As the jogging veteran would
put it, your body becomes "trained."
And your future prospects are rosy,for the ten minutes you run today
will soon be no more than a warming-up exercise.
Again a bit later, after a few more weeks of running, you'll vary between
thirty and forty-five minutes, just as you see fit. You can either go full
out or, just as important, relax at a slower pace. At the end you'll even be
doing your first five-mile run, for the distance you'll cover will be about
five to six miles. And when you stand on the peak and look back, you'll
realize how simple it was to jump over difficulties with your passionate
conviction and reach the finish line without a detour. Deep in your soul
you'll feel your self-confidence grow with each new victory. And your
growing self-confidence in your untapped potential will fuel your passion
for future goals. But even if many things about you change during these
weeks - and change in a big way - one thing will, and must, always
remain the same: controlled breathing.