Running Made Easy

CAN YOU SPARE A MINUTE?

Yes, we do mean just 60 seconds. If so, you’ve got what it takes to do something that has the power to shape up your whole life and totally transform you, from your quads to your brain cells and beyond. This is an activity that will make you feel passionate, alive, energized, joyful and confident in a way that no jumbo croissant or retail therapy ever could. It can turn you into a hero for a day, and get thousands of people chanting your name. And it’s something that you’ve known how to do since childhood, but have probably neglected to do since you grew up. Something that’s blindingly obvious, easy to fit into your day – and free. Quite simply, it’s running.

BUT WILL IT WORK FOR ME?

Of course, if you give it a chance. The best thing about running is that it can give you whatever you need – whether that’s a better body, quiet time to think, or something more radical like the confidence to make life-changing decisions or tackle an ‘I didn’t think I had it in me’ challenge. But in order for running to work for you, you need to approach it in the right way. Try to run too far, too fast (as you may have done in the past) and you’ll find yourself doubled over with exhaustion, giving up before you even get to the good bits. But do it right and it’s actually amazingly easy – providing you know where to start. And that’s where Running Made Easy comes in. We’ve developed something called ‘The 60-Second-Secret Plan’, which we believe is the very best way to ease you painlessly into running. If you’ve barely run a step in your life – or even if you’ve been running half-heartedly for years – The 60-Second-Secret Plan will take you back to basics and help you build a solid fitness foundation that will enable you to achieve all your goals. Follow this plan and you’ll fall in love with running – for life. Guaranteed! It’s all about starting small but aiming big. About learning to combine walking with 60-second bursts of running (as fast or slow as you like) and building up from there. It’ll take you wherever you want to go – from minute to mile to marathon.

WHY RUN?

Apart from helping you look and feel fantastic, running can massively improve your health, something most of us in the Western world really need to do. A worrying 80% of adults in England don’t get enough exercise, and we’re suffering from a host of health problems related to this lack of physical activity. The good news is that running can help stop many of them in their tracks. Here’s the evidence to prove it:

161,000 deaths a year in the UK are caused by cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke). That’s around four out of every ten deaths. (British Heart Foundation)

50% is how much you can reduce your risk of heart disease if you’re physically active. ( British Heart Foundation )

63% is how much you can reduce your risk of stroke if you run regularly for 20–40 minutes, three to five times a week. ( Medicine and Science In Sports and Exercise Journal )

1.4 billion adults worldwide are overweight and at least 400 million are obese. ( World Health Organization )

100% is how sure we are that you’ll lose weight if you exercise regularly and reduce your calorie intake.

31% is how much higher your risk of developing breast cancer is, if you are a woman who is post-menopausal and obese. ( European Prospective Investigation of Cancer )

30% is how much you can reduce your risk of breast cancer if you exercise on a regular basis. ( University of Bristol research )

12,000 people a year in the UK might avoid getting cancer if they maintained a healthy body weight. ( International Journal of Cancer )

382 million people worldwide have diabetes, with up to 95% of them suffering from type-2 diabetes, which is often associated with being overweight. ( International Diabetes Federation )

Up to 80% of type-2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity. ( International Diabetes Federation )

58% is how much participants in a study reduced their risk of getting type-2 diabetes by, by exercising, on average, for 30 minutes per day. ( Joslin Diabetes Center )

30–40 minutes of weight-bearing exercise (such as running) three to four times a week can help to prevent osteoporosis. ( Osteoporosis Australia )

WHY GO BACK TO BASICS?

Because we know there’s nothing more frustrating than programmes that ask too much of you, such as those that expect you to be able to run for 10 minutes on day one when you know you just can’t. Because we know that the last time you ran for the bus, you probably missed it. Because we know runners who were so terrified of exercising in public that they’d run only under the cover of darkness, or jog with a shopping bag so they could pretend they weren’t running at all but merely in a rush to get to the supermarket! With this plan, it doesn’t matter where you are now or how embarrassed and unfit you feel – you’ll definitely be able to manage it. We promise.

SO WHY LISTEN TO US?

As fitness journalists, we have access to all the latest running research and the best experts, so we can give you the lowdown on the technical stuff. But that’s not all this book is about. The fact is that we’re runners ourselves, and we’ve learned things you can discover only by getting out there and running. Which means that whatever you’re going through, we’ve been there, too.

And because one of us is a tortoise, a slow but sure runner who always gets to the end eventually, and the other a hare who loves tearing after the front runners, we know all about the challenges different types of running bring. Between us, we’ve made just about every mistake in the book. We know what it’s like to shoot out of the door on the first day of your new fitness regime, so overenthusiastic that you attempt to run full-tilt for 20 minutes, only to wilt so badly after ten that you have to catch a taxi home. What it’s like to go running in winter in a T-shirt and almost turn blue from the cold.

We know what it is like to be so late for a race that you hear the start gun go off while you’re still stuck trying to pin on your race number. Or to break the biggest rule of all, and run a marathon in brand new trainers that turn your feet into a bubble wrap of blisters after the first mile.

We’ve also experienced pretty much every positive emotion running can arouse – the joy of achieving what you set out to do, the deep satisfaction of realizing you’ve been running three times a week for six months and it no longer feels like a struggle, and the pride in finishing a tough race you never thought you could.

Best of all, we’re still running and loving every step. We try never to lose sight of the fact that running is fun, and that’s why we do it. We know that as well as exercising our glutes, hamstrings and quads, each run should never fail to exercise 53 really important muscles that aren’t used nearly often enough – the ones that make you smile!

‘We try never to lose sight of the fact that running is fun, and that’s why we do it’

NINE MIGHTY REASONS TO RUN

1. Because you can indulge in chocolate (and other treats) without putting on weight.

2. Because it will give you so much confidence your friends will be wondering what has made the difference.

3. Because it will give you the energy to bound through your day and still have enough left over to last well into the night.

4. Because it will help banish cellulite, which means shorts will not just be for running.

5. Because the ear-to-ear grin that running gives you will make you totally irresistible.

6. Because being successful at running makes you realize you can dare to go after your dreams – however wild they may seem.

7. Because it’ll make you feel young and help you turn back the clock without any artificial help.

8. Because you’ll save money by not spending on ‘miracle’ diet books, expensive low-calorie foods and cigarettes.

9. Because it’s so easy to fit into your life, it’ll leave you plenty of time for all those other things you love to do.

WHAT EXACTLY WILL I LEARN?

Basically, how to run. And although it sounds simple, it does need to be learned. Which is where Running Made Easy comes in. We want to be with you every step of the way, and that’s why this book is packed with all you need to know to help you achieve just about any running goal you might set yourself. We also want it to be really useful, which is why it’s also a workbook that we hope you’ll fill in regularly to help you track your progress and record your personal achievements, from the joy of going farther than you’ve ever gone before to the satisfaction of fitting into a smaller pair of jeans.

BUT WILL IT INSPIRE ME?

Yes, because you’ll find this book is full of tips and advice from ordinary people just like you – and a few extraordinary ones, too, like the woman who lost half her bodyweight through running and the blind man who still dares to run. You’ll learn what motivates people to run, what helps them stick at it when the going gets tough, and hear more about how they came to realize that, by running, they really could change their life for the better. It really is stirring stuff – we were amazed and we think you’ll be, too.

This is also a book that devotes as much time to examining the mental and emotional benefits of running as the physical ones. It’ll show you how you can use running as a self-help tool to calm yourself after a frantic day in the office, develop the self-esteem you’ll never find at the bottom of a wine glass, and gain the body confidence that a new designer wardrobe can’t deliver.

SO WHEN DO I START?

In a minute! Just one last thing. Always remember that whoever you are, and whatever your starting point, you can be a good runner – it’s not about being fast or first, it’s about achieving what you set out to do, whether that’s one lap of the park, 10 minutes on the treadmill, or finishing your first race or marathon. But most of all, it’s about having fun!

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

Running will make you:

•   Happier

•   Slimmer

•   More successful

•   More confident

•   More assertive

•   Sexier

•   More positive

•   Less stressed

Guaranteed!

‘WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN BEFORE I STARTED…’

NOT EVERYONE GETS TO READ A COPY OF RUNNING MADE EASY BEFORE EMBARKING ON THEIR FIRST RUN! HERE, A FEW RUNNERS SHARE THE MISTAKES THEY MADE, TO HELP STOP YOU FROM MAKING THEM, TOO.

I wish that someone had told me that at the start of every run, I’d have to be patient and wait for my body to warm up. I always set off feeling terrible, and my body would feel like it was shocked because one minute I’d been sitting on the sofa, and the next I was out running. But, if I stuck with it and gave myself time to get into my stride, it started to get a lot easier.’

Jill Hopper, 38, journalist, London

‘It’s good to plan a running route so you have some idea of where you’re going. The first time I ran, I got lost and had to ask people the way home! I got on much better when I found some local running routes on the Internet. It also meant I knew exactly how far I was running which helped to motivate me.’

Will Fuller, 35, HR Manager, Surrey

‘It took me a while to realize how much easier I’d find it running with someone. I’d get bored and lonely running by myself (music was the only thing that kept me going) but when I was with a friend, I could chat away quite happily which passed the time and meant I didn’t really focus on the fact that I was finding it hard work.’

Lindsay Cunningham, 34, teacher, Hampshire

‘Running gives you energy when you’re tired, and helps you to eat more healthily. As a student nurse, I can be on my feet for 12 hours a day and I used to sometimes think I was too tired to go for a run, so would pick myself up by eating crisps and chocolate instead. But now I’ve realized that running is a brilliant way to de-stress, and when I’ve finished a run, I want to eat healthily rather than undo all my good work with junk food.’

Rose Danaher, 27, student nurse, London

‘It would have been good to get my underwear sorted earlier on! When I took up running to train for a marathon, I did a few races wearing uncomfortable knickers, and ended up with really sore, chafed legs where the seams had rubbed. I eventually realized the fewer seams the better, and at times I even found it was best to go commando under my shorts!’

Rachel Roberts, 29, teacher, Cornwall

‘RUNNING MADE EASY HELPED ME LOSE 5 STONE’

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Thanks to Running Made Easy , I am a changed woman. It helped me go from being overweight and unfit to doing my first marathon in just 18 months. I had a weight problem all my life and as a child was painfully shy. It was a vicious circle. I knew I needed to exercise and slim down but I was too self-conscious to wear workout gear, so I remained overweight. It wasn’t food that was the problem – I ate a healthy, vegetarian diet – just the lack of activity.

After I had my first child, Sean, my weight hit an all-time high of 102kg (16st). I felt awful. I hated buying clothes and going out. Three years later, I developed a blood clot in my lung, which made me realise I needed to change my lifestyle. I began to go out for walks and do pilates and gradually slimmed down to 89kg (14st).

That’s when I bought a copy of Running Made Easy. It became my bible and I took it everywhere. I liked it so much I read it twice! I embarked on The 60-Second-Secret Plan. Soon afterwards, I signed up for the 10K (6-mile) Women’s Mini-Marathon in Dublin. I had a great race and this spurred me on to keep running. And as I did so, the weight just kept falling off. By the time I got married, I was 70kg (11st).

Over the next year I completed six more races and finished the Dublin Marathon (42.2K/26.2 miles) in 4 hours. I’ve since had another child and running has helped me regain my pre-pregnancy figure. Before I read Running Made Easy, I thought running was only for athletes, but it helped me see that even if you’re not super-fast and don’t train every day you can still be proud to call yourself a runner.

HOW DEE DID IT

Training tip: ‘Don’t skip your rest days – your body needs them in order to recover from training sessions.’

Motivation tip: ‘My motto is Get up and out! Don’t give yourself time to think before starting an early morning training session – just head for the door and tell yourself you’ll do just a few minutes. Once you get going you’ll find you’re happy to run for much longer than that.’

‘THE RUNNING BUG TOOK HOLD OF ME’

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When I first decided I wanted to lose weight I was so determined that I joined my nearest Slimming World group as soon as I could. I initially felt embarrassed by my size but I received such a lovely, warm welcome and was made to feel like all my weight-loss dreams were achievable.

With the help of weekly group sessions and support from my consultant, I gradually lost 55kg (8st 9lb). I started to feel amazing and wanted to get active, so started off by going for walks. This progressed to speed walking and then occasionally some jogging. I entered the 5K (3 mile) Race for Life and ran it wearing a pink tutu and fairy wings, and my picture even made the local paper. The running bug took hold of me and soon I couldn’t get enough. Although I was exercising more I never felt hungry and my consultant even told me to up my protein intake. I found this really helped with my running.

Losing the weight meant that I could walk and run much further without getting aches in my lower back – something that I used to really struggle with before. Now I don’t get out of breath and can bend and reach easily. I can go up and down stairs as many times as I like. In fact, when I iron I take up each hanging item separately, just to keep moving!

The biggest joy in my whole life is to go for a run with my sons. It makes me feel so proud of myself because I know they are proud of me. I have so much energy now, some days I run, garden, cook, clean and tidy the house and I’m still on the go at 6pm. I feel half my age. Now I am fit and happy and I would like to progress my running even further. I have managed just over 10K (6 miles), so I am aiming for 15K and maybe even a half-marathon.

HOW GILL DID IT

Training tip: ‘Having a good pair of leggings and the right layers for exercising really makes a difference. Being comfortable on a run is vital.’

Motivation tip: ‘Take every run as it comes. Progressing little by little is a guaranteed way of seeing great results long term.’

‘MY GOAL IS TO STAY SLIM AND HEALTHY INTO MY 50s’

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Iwas always very skinny as a child and young woman and I found I could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. After having my children and hitting 35, the number on the scales started to creep up and the pounds stayed on. When I lost my mum I comfort ate and put on even more weight. When my clothes reached a size 16 I felt frumpy — that’s when I decided I needed to do something about my weight gain.

I began running regularly, something that I had not done for years. To help me get going I bought an interval-training app on my smartphone that started off with very short runs mixed with walking. Eventually, following the app, I slowly increased my time spent running and decreased my time spent walking, until I was running 10K (6 miles) comfortably.

I started to feel fantastic. Running really changed the shape of my body. Many people say I look as if I’ve lost much more weight than I have and I’m sure that’s thanks to my toned physique. I have bought lots of gorgeous new clothes for work and love showing off my new figure. My goal is to stay slim and healthy into my 50s.

After losing weight I now run much more seriously, usually two to three times per week. I’m planning to run a half-marathon next. I also try to walk and use the stairs whenever possible and even