Lore of running

[Tim Noakes’ Lore of Running](http://www.amazon.com/Lore-Running-4th-Timothy- Noakes/dp/0873229592) is turning out to be a very good read. Tim’s narrative is convincing and it would be a waste to not follow his advice on running, at least as a beginner. After running on and off during the last decade, I am now ready to take running seriously.

First off, I now have a plan in place. So far, I have chalked out some outlines of the plan. For starters, its going to be a one year plan. This is a good enough horizon that is not too far off in the future and at the same time, provides enough time to produce tangible results. So, in the next one year, I will be working out for 10 solid months and then take a 2 month break, which Tim says is essential for a serious runner who wants to continue to run for many years and decades.

Breaking that down further, I also have a plan for this month. Its a run a day / walk a day, covering 6 days a week. This is designed to just form a habit of getting out of the door and working out for half an hour or more. Its simple: run 30 minutes a day and walk 45 minutes the next day. Repeat from Monday through Saturday, and rest on Sunday.

This phase (I call it Phase 1) will last for 2 months, and the regimen for month 2 (i.e. August) will probably vary only a little from what I have planned for this month. The idea is to just incorporate my learning from this month into the next, without altering the goal of this phase, which is, get into a habit of exercising. Though I have not set foot on the road with this new plan, I am already feeling positive and the chances of success seem to be high because this plan is not overly ambitious or unrealistic.

And while I plan and implement this one year fitness plan, I expect to get better at planning itself. Thats two birds with one stone.