I started running again in 2020 after 10 years off in a very similar situation to you Gordo and used this exact approach with great success. Walk, walk/run, then 3 x short runs for 2 years (built to 2 and a longer one) before adding a 4th run and bike. I really wish I'd added the bike cross trining much earlier but was recovering from shoulder surgery. Have not had a running related injury break and been incredibly consistent. Improvement was linear for 18 months, plateaued and then increased again with the 4th run/bike addition. I struggled with cycles of boom and bust load and injury for 15 years back in my 30's doing tris. Experience is a great teacher, keep sharing this important message Gordo.
Patience. That's the biggest issue I see among fellow middle aged runners. They want to do a marathon, ultra or ironman within 6 months of starting. After screwing my shoulder skiing I couldn't lift, ride, swim or surf so running was it and I sure as hell wasn't going to make dumb mistakes this time round. But I don't see the level of patience required in 99% of my local run group. We're slowly winning minds to the bottom up approach and your great content helps immensely
Finding this inspiring to again include more running into my weekly regimen. Being a cyclist, it's so easy to disregard but your points here are very actionable. I'd be curious to know what you think about MED in such a case... (Simply maintanece and health)
The challenge for cyclists (and swimmers) is the body is going to be very aerobically fit. Typically, this means large general capacity and fragile legs.
The ramp needs to be slow - on the order of 3x20 minutes of running per week - for 2-3 months.
The ramp is going to be so slow, you'll question if it's worth doing. It's worth doing! You'll be challenging your connective tissues and bones in a way you don't get with your main sport.
The slow ramp will avoid seeing a decline with your high-end power numbers. If you're doing too much then you'll notice your sprint watts decline. It's a good early warning system.
I started running again in 2020 after 10 years off in a very similar situation to you Gordo and used this exact approach with great success. Walk, walk/run, then 3 x short runs for 2 years (built to 2 and a longer one) before adding a 4th run and bike. I really wish I'd added the bike cross trining much earlier but was recovering from shoulder surgery. Have not had a running related injury break and been incredibly consistent. Improvement was linear for 18 months, plateaued and then increased again with the 4th run/bike addition. I struggled with cycles of boom and bust load and injury for 15 years back in my 30's doing tris. Experience is a great teacher, keep sharing this important message Gordo.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I keep telling myself, "it is going to take however long it takes..."
As you can probably remember, there are a lot of ups & downs across the return to running journey.
g
Patience. That's the biggest issue I see among fellow middle aged runners. They want to do a marathon, ultra or ironman within 6 months of starting. After screwing my shoulder skiing I couldn't lift, ride, swim or surf so running was it and I sure as hell wasn't going to make dumb mistakes this time round. But I don't see the level of patience required in 99% of my local run group. We're slowly winning minds to the bottom up approach and your great content helps immensely
Finding this inspiring to again include more running into my weekly regimen. Being a cyclist, it's so easy to disregard but your points here are very actionable. I'd be curious to know what you think about MED in such a case... (Simply maintanece and health)
The challenge for cyclists (and swimmers) is the body is going to be very aerobically fit. Typically, this means large general capacity and fragile legs.
The ramp needs to be slow - on the order of 3x20 minutes of running per week - for 2-3 months.
The ramp is going to be so slow, you'll question if it's worth doing. It's worth doing! You'll be challenging your connective tissues and bones in a way you don't get with your main sport.
The slow ramp will avoid seeing a decline with your high-end power numbers. If you're doing too much then you'll notice your sprint watts decline. It's a good early warning system.
Sounds a great idea. Reckon I can squeeze this in! Maybe the dog will partake in this to some degree 🐶