Becoming a Runner - A New Goal

I remember the feeling I had when I managed to walk/run the 5K on the treadmill under an hour, and I want to experience that feeling again with another long term goal for my exercise. For as long as I can remember, I’ve hated to run. I’m a large busted girl, and as soon as these girls came in they were in the way and uncomfortable; running just never appealed to me. I attempted to be a sprinter track athlete when I was younger, but proved that wide shoulders, bulking body, and big boobs were not the ideal physique for Track & Field – unless you become a shot-put or discuss thrower (which I tried). So now we are here more then a decade later and I suddenly want to attempt running again. Why you ask? Well, I read an article that said I could do it, and I’ve been watching an amazing women become a runner and just finish her 1st half marathon. So, I ask myself, why can’t I become a runner?

So here’s the plan. I’m going to give this goal 8 weeks (the article says I only need 6, but I know my schedule and I’m gonna need more time), and I’m going to work on running long intervals each day I get on that treadmill. Here is what the article says about getting to the point of running 1 mile. “Split your run into walking and running parts at first, says Joe Puleo, head cross country and track-and-field coach at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, and coauthor of Running Anatomy. Jog a quarter of a mile, walk for half a mile, and finish by jogging another quarter. As you improve, stretch out the jogging and shrink the walking segment before jogging that final quarter mile. Do this three or four times a week and "you'll be able to run the whole distance in about six weeks," Puleo says.”

To break it down for you basically this coach is saying to run/walk and shrink the amount of time you walk to increase your running stamina, and this is exactly what I’ve been doing. But, the big area I have not been following through in is stretching the jogging out longer and shrinking the walking.

So, as of right now this is how my treadmill workouts follow:
1. Walk 10 minutes for warm-up
2. Run 1 minute sprint at 4.5 mph
3. Walk for 5 minutes at 3.4 mph
4. Run 1 minute sprint at 4.5 mph
5. Walk again for 5 minutes at 3.4 mph.
6. I continue this process for an hour and get in a 5K distance.

Here is what I would like to start doing:
1. Walk 10 minutes for warm-up
2. Run 1 lap (1/4 mile)
3. Walk 2 laps (1/2 mile)
4. Run 1 lap (1/4 mile)
5. And continue this routine until 5K is finished.

Here is my Action Plan:
1. Walk 10 minutes for warm-up
2. Run HALF a lap, and then walk the rest of lap.
3. Walk a whole lap
4. Run HALF a lap, and then walk the rest of lap.
5. Continue this until 5K is finished.

What my eventual Goal will be:
1. Fast walk 10 minute warm-up
2. Run 1 mile
3. Walk – cool down (unsure of how long)
4. Run 1 mile
5. Walk- Cool down
6. Continue this until 5K is finished