Step 4: Start

To determine where to start our training program, we should consider four categories of marathoning. You can decide which one you belong to at the moment, and begin or continue your training from there. The four categories are: Walking, slogging (slow jogging or walk-running), running and fast racing.

If you are in the walking or slow jogging category, you should start to, if you have not already, run or walk five days a week for 20 to 40 minutes each day. This is assuming that your heart is strong and you know you are fit enough to begin a regular training program. If you have a trusted doctor or physiotherapist, make sure they feel that you are fit enough to start a training program.

This basic training period is the time we are building an endurance base and should last for at least two to three months with a slight increase in time or mileage each week if you feel strong. If you increase your mileage each week, the increase should be only 5% to 10% more than the previous week’s mileage. It is more important to have the regularity from week to week than to worry about increasing the weekly mileage too much, which could lead to injury or exhaustion. See the section on ‘schedule’ to get more information.

To gauge the intensity of the workout, you should take your pulse occasionally, which should be about 70 to 75% of your maximum heart rate during a basic run or walk not involving anaerobic activity such as speedwork. Depending on your age and fitness level, 70% should be around 120 to 140 beats per minute. Your maximum heart rate is approximately 220 minus your age. So if you are 50 years old, your maximum heart rate will be around 170 (beats per minute), or a bit more if you are really fit. 70 to 75% of that is about 120-130 beats per minute which is normal for aerobic training, or jogging at a pace below the anaerobic threshold, as opposed to anaerobic training, or speedwork.

To determine your heart rate during a session of jogging or walking, stop for ten seconds and count the pulse either on the wrist or the neck for only a ten second interval by your watch. If you multiply that by six, you will get your beats per minute(b.p.m.). For example, if you count 20 beats in 10 seconds, then your heart rate is 120 b.p.m. This is more accurate than counting the pulse for a whole minute which lets the pulse slow down quite a bit as you recover during that minute.

“Just start your inner race, without waiting to see
Who else is ready to run with you.
When others see you have reached your goal,
They will also be inspired to run.”
~Sri Chinmoy