By Dr. Ed Kornoelje | Sports Medicine
April 30, 2023. SHE RUNS Grand Rapids. Not exactly around corner—or is it? Most
half-marathon training programs are 10-14 weeks in length, some 16-18, and even a
few that are 20 weeks. SHE RUNS is about 26 weeks away—“So what am I supposed
to be doing now?” you may be asking.
Move. Pretty simple I know, but sometimes hard to get done. As we head into cooler
weather (OK colder—more on this next month), and the holiday season, regular training
can be hard fit in. And that’s OK. If you have been a regular runner, the end of the year
is often a good time to take a little break. Run less often, walk, swim, or cycle—your
muscles and bones (and sometimes our brains) need a little time off from regular
training. And if you were unfortunate enough to end the running season a bit injured,
now is the time to heel up—see below if you need any help!
What if you are new to training? For spring races such as SHE RUNS, November and
December are great months to get a little more active. As noted above walking,
swimming, and cycling are great ways to get used to moving on a regular basis. And
after a few weeks of walking regularly, add some 30-60 second jog intervals:
3 min walk
30 second jog
3 min walk
30 second jog…
You get the point. Repeat for a total of 20-25 minutes and increase the total time or jog
time every week or so. By January you will be ready to start a 16-week training
program!
Thanks for reading—I hope this means you are planning on running in April. In the
meantime, stay healthy and keep moving. All of us at University of Michigan HealthWest (and yes, there are a lot of us) want you to get to START line for SHE RUNS
Grand Rapids—only then can you get to the finish line. If you need some aid along the
way, go to www.uofmhealthwest.org and let us help!