S03E02 - Learning to Run - Is It Fun?

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What is the point of running if walking gets you there? Why should I even consider starting to run

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when I'm already exercising regularly? And then, how could I make it feel less uncomfortable?

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Let's dig in! Welcome to Scale to Fit, fit in your 50s!

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Just show up, make a plan, feel stronger than you can. Small steps lead to victory,

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you're rewriting history. Scale to fit, fit in your 50s with Marko Lindgren. Come on and join us!

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I have never liked running and jogging even less. But after three years of regular walking,

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I felt that maybe I could try something else. So I sort of accidentally broke my devotion

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to not running and started training for it. Yes indeed. Running, as I expected, was painful

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and uncomfortable. But at the same time, it was fun and rewarding.

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But then again, why does running feel so bad? Especially when you already love being active.

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Maybe you're a devoted walker like me, you've got your roots, your rhythm,

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your favorite time of day. Or maybe you cycle. You can spin for an hour and feel absolutely great.

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I know, I've done that. And then you try running, and within two minutes or less, you're gasping,

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your legs feel like concrete and you're wondering what on earth is going on. Sound familiar?

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Here's the thing, nothing is wrong with you. Running is simply a different kind of heart,

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and today I'm going to unpack exactly why it feels that way, and more importantly,

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how to get past it. Especially if you're a grown up. And here as well applies what I like to say,

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don't do nothing, do something and scale it back. So you're a walker or a cyclist, you're fit,

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you move your body regularly and feel good doing it. Why on earth does jogging for a minute or two

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leave you breathless? The answer comes down to something called specificity. Your body is

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incredibly good at adapting to the exact demands you place on it. Walking and cycling are both

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lower impact, rhythmically smooth activities. Running is none of those things, at least not

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at first. When you run, you are essentially hopping from one foot to the other. Every single step you

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are landing with a force of roughly twice your body weight. So from one and a half to two and a

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half times. Your muscles, tendons and joints are absorbing impact they have never experienced

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before, no matter how fit you are in other ways. Your cardiovascular system is also working in a

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completely different gear. Running at even a slow pace elevates your heart rate significantly more

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than walking at the same distance. And here's what makes this especially humbling for active people.

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You expect it to feel easy because you are already in good shape. When it doesn't, when you are

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huffing and puffing while jogging slower than you usually walk, it can feel demoralizing,

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almost insulting. But that feeling, it is completely normal. It is not a sign that you are failing,

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it is a sign that your body is encountering a new stimulus. And that, believe it or not,

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is actually exciting, because your body is about to adapt in some remarkable ways.

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Now, if you are a grown-up, there are some physiological realities worth acknowledging.

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Nothing scary though. Understanding what's happening in your body helps you work with it

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rather than against it. When you grow up, a few things shift. Your VO2 max, essentially your

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body's ability to process and use oxygen during exercise, naturally declines, roughly 10% per

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decade. Your maximum heart rate drops. You begin to lose fast-twitched muscle fibers, which are the

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ones responsible for power and speed. And your recovery time after exercise increases, meaning

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you get sore and you stay sore for longer. You may also experience reduced flexibility and slightly

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less joint resilience, particularly in the knees and hips. For women, hormonal changes associated

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with menopause can contribute to joint aches and tissue sensitivity, which can make early running

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feel even more uncomfortable. The crucial part is, however, that none of this means you can't run.

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It means you have to approach running more thoughtfully than a 20-something would. And

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frankly, that's not a disadvantage. Because while younger runners often learn through painful trial

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and error, you have something they don't. You have the wisdom to listen to your body, respect its

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signals and play the long game. Research consistently shows that adults who start running after 50 can

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absolutely build endurance, improve cardiovascular fitness and even increase bone density. The

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timeline might be a little bit longer and the approach a little more gradual, but the rewards

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are just as real. My reason for starting to train for running was simply that I wanted to have a bit

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more demanding walks. I wanted to get my heart rate up and get closer to the same feeling that

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initially got me walking. Even though the first runs or sprints were unpleasant to say the least,

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I kept going. But many people don't. So what to do and what not to do?

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The single most common mistake without question is starting too fast. You feel motivated,

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you go out and run at a pace that your cardiovascular system simply isn't ready to

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sustain. Within minutes the heart rate spikes, you can't catch your breath and the whole experience

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is awful. The fix is obvious. Slow down. Run shorter sprints and with slower speed. At this point,

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it doesn't matter if you're running or, I guess, in this case jogging slower than you walk. What

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matters is that you keep on moving and keep it sustainable. Combining walking and running sprints

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is not a failure or a mistake. The run-walk method where you alternate between running

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intervals and brisk walking is not a beginner's compromise. It is a legitimate evidence-based

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strategy that coaches use with athletes of all levels. Jeff Galloway, an Olympian and running

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coach who has been refining this method for decades, has shown that run-walk intervals

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allow runners to cover longer distances with less fatigue and dramatically lower injury risk.

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For any grown-up just starting out, this approach is not training wheels. It is the way.

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Don't do too much too soon. Your cardiovascular system usually adapts to running relatively

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quickly. Within a few weeks, you will probably notice you are breathing easier. But your tendons,

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ligaments and bones adapt much more slowly. This mismatch is exactly where overuse injuries like

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shin splints, runner's knee and Achilles problems come from. The rule here is simple. Never increase

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your weekly running volume by more than about 10% from one week to the next and never run on

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consecutive days when you are just starting out. And don't forget strength training. You may say

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that running is running, why would you need to lift weights or do calisthenics? Because as grown-ups,

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we naturally lose muscle mass through a process called sarcopenia. Weak glutes, hips and core

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muscles force your knees and ankles to compensate in ways they are not designed for and that's a

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recipe for injury. Even two short strength sessions per week, things like squats, lunges, glute bridges

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and calf raises, can make a profound difference in how stable and comfortable running feels.

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So I felt that just walking didn't quite give me what I wanted. I wanted a higher heart rate

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and more calorie consumption. I had had this feeling on my walks for a while and then I stumbled

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upon a 5k training plan from a sports watch and heart rate monitor maker Polar. I thought why not

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I will try it out. And just like that I broke my devotion to not running. The Polar training plan

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covers 12 weeks, three running sessions and two other sessions per week. After three months,

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you should be able to run five kilometers. The running training starts with three rounds of one

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minute jogging and six minutes of walking, gradually moving to eight minutes of jogging and two minutes

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of walking in between. After which the jogging time grows to 45 minutes until at the end of the

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12th week comes the whole five kilometer race. A couple of things didn't resonate with me. First,

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the progression felt a bit too steep. From zero to five kilometers in three months just didn't sound

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right. The plan talks about jogging, which to me sounds like an unnecessary extension of suffering.

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I feel that if I'm training for running, I run, I don't jog. So I wanted a second opinion and asked

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an AI to create a training plan for me. The AI plan was also for 12 weeks, starting with six one

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minute runs and two minutes of walking in the first week with the running time increasing by one minute

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each week and the walking time and total exercise time staying about the same. After the 12 weeks,

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the goal was to run for half an hour. This already sounded more achievable. Only the starting

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proportions of running and walking felt more like being backwards. For my own actual training program,

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I took a little bit from here and a little bit from there. First, I wanted a much slower progression

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and second, I wanted to run, not jog. I started with a 10 minute warm up walk, then six rounds

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of running for one minute followed by five minutes of walking and to cool down yet another 10 minute

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walk. I stayed on this plan for a month, three times a week, after which I did five rounds of

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running for a minute and a half and walking for five minutes in between. I kept this plan for longer

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since it also included the winter break. For slush, darkness and cold, I resorted to just walking.

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The phase I'm on now is to run for two minutes and walk for five minutes for five rounds. I will move

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to the next phase when the current amount of running starts to feel more comfortable than

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uncomfortable and when my speed no longer improves. The good to no corner. So you have been walking for

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years like me, maybe you've got your route down, your favorite playlist ready and your morning

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ritual locked in. And now you're wondering like me, should I start running? Is it actually worth it?

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Well, let's start with the big picture. Both walking and running are fantastic for you.

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Personally, I love walking, but there are some real differences worth knowing about, especially

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when it comes to your heart, your weight, your bones, and even your mood. Running puts a bigger

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demand on your cardiovascular system than walking does. More intensity means your heart has to work

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harder and over time that makes it stronger and more efficient. For example, high intensity

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interval training in the context of running, which means sprinting for short bursts improves

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heart fitness more than moderate intensity walking. Now, the interesting part is that when large groups

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of people were studied over many years, researchers found that walking and running produced similar

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reductions in heart disease risk as long as the total energy burned was the same.

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So it's not that running is magic. It's just more efficient. You get a bigger cardiovascular stimulus

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in less time. And then what about calories and weight? This one is pretty straightforward.

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Running burns roughly up to 60 more calories per kilometer than walking. That adds up as fast as

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your kilometers. So if you are short on time and weight management is a goal, running gives you

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more bang for your minutes. That said, at the same time, walking can be sustained for much longer

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without wearing your body out. Walk far enough, long enough, and you can absolutely match the

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calories burn off for shorter run. So neither one has a monopoly on weight loss. It really comes down

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to what you will actually stick with. Then what about getting fitter? What about improving your

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aerobic capacity and your endurance? Both activities improve your VO2 max, which is essentially a measure

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of how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise, a key marker of overall fitness. Studies

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have shown that six months of regular jogging versus regular walking produced similar improvements

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in aerobic capacity. Running may get you there faster, but walking absolutely gets you there.

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Consistency, as always, beats intensity. There is one area where running has a clear edge though,

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and that is bone health. Because running is a higher impact activity, it sends stronger signals

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to your body to build and reinforce bone density. That's significant, especially since it reduces

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the risk of osteoporosis and fractures over time. Walking does support bone health too, and adding

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some weight like in rocking can amplify those benefits. But purely in terms of bone and

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connective tissue, strengthening stimulus, running wins this round. On the flip side, however,

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running also carries a higher risk of injury. Shin splints, stress fractures, knee pain, these are all

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more common in runners, especially those who ramp up too fast. Walking is much more forgiving on

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your joints, which makes it the smart starting point for a lot of people. And then, mental health

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and wellbeing benefit from walking and running. They both reduce stress, ease anxiety, and lower

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the risk of depression. While running can produce more pronounced runners high, walking offers

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similar mental benefit with a smaller, more sustainable effort. The rhythmic, meditative

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quality of putting one foot in front of the other, outside in nature, that works whether you are

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running or strolling. Running offers more cardiovascular and metabolic benefits per minute

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of exercise. It is the more efficient workout. But walking is accessible to virtually everyone,

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it carries far less injury risk, and can be done longer and more frequently. For most people,

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the sweet spot is actually a combination of both, which is exactly why programs like run-walk

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intervals are so effective, particularly for beginners and those returning to exercise after

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a break. Pretty much like me. The best exercise at the end of the day is the one you will actually

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do. And if you have been a dedicated walker for years, you already have an incredible foundation

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to build on. Whether you stay on the walking path or start adding a little run into the mix,

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you are already ahead of most people. The good to no corner. After all of this talk about

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unpleasantness, suffering and hardship, let's take a look at the good stuff. There is a lot of it,

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but it might take a while for it to kick in. Many starting runners say that a turning point is

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somewhere between weeks 4 and 8. Something feels shifting, the breathing gets easier,

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the legs stop fighting back. And something unexpected, a quiet, almost meditative quality

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of the run starts to emerge. Something that wasn't there before. That is not an accident.

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Running, like walking, has a rhythmic, repetitive quality that activates the same calming pathways

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in the brain. Also, the runner's high gets easier to achieve once your fitness improves and running

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becomes easier. Beyond the neurochemistry, there are some practical things you can do

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to make your training more enjoyable from day one.

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Run somewhere beautiful. Trail running on soft paths, in parks, or in green spaces is easier on

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your joints than running on pavement. And it also makes the whole experience more engaging and

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wholesome. Being in nature makes the whole effort feel more worthwhile. You can also use music

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podcasts or audiobooks. Many runners find that engaging their mind helps distract them from

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physical discomfort in the early weeks. Personally, I like to listen to my surroundings and think my

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own thoughts. But if you find something you only listen to when you run, you will suddenly start

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looking forward to it. Having a running partner or joining a local running group is a powerful tool

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for building consistency. It creates accountability, it's social, and it makes the time pass faster.

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Many communities have running groups specifically for beginners or for grownups.

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If you want to boost your motivation, sign up for a local 5k run. Not to race, but to have a goal.

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Having a date on the calendar, even months away, gives your training direction and meaning. And

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crossing that finish line for the first time at whatever pace is a feeling that stays with you.

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And most importantly, celebrate every win. Run for three consecutive minutes without stopping,

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that is a win. Went out on a cold morning when you didn't feel like it, that's a huge win,

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which I probably would never be able to achieve. Progress in running is real and measurable,

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and noticing it keeps you coming back. There are some practical things to keep in mind as you get

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started on your journey towards becoming a runner. Get yourself proper shoes, get those shoes properly

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fitted, don't just grab whatever looks good online. Go to a specialty running store, have them analyze

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your gait and try on several pairs. This is the single best investment you can make, and your feet

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will thank you for years. Warm up before everyone. A 5 to 10 minute brisk walk does the job, and

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remember to cool down as well, adding some gentle stretching, you will feel a lot better the next day.

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Repeat the week's program when needed. There's no race to finish the program, the goal is to build

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a habit you will keep for years. Strength training also helps a lot. On one or two of your rest days,

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doing simple bodyweight exercises will significantly protect your knees and hips.

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And stay hydrated, drink more than you think you need to. Our sense of thirst is always lacking a

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bit behind, so you may already be dehydrated before you feel thirsty. Drink water before and

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after every run, and on longer efforts consider an electrolyte drink. And pay attention to your

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protein intake. Research suggests that adults over 40 may need more protein per meal for muscle

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repair and recovery than younger athletes, around 30 to 40 grams per serving. If running leaves you

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unusually sore for days, your nutrition is worth reviewing. And finally, and I can't say this enough,

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listen to your body. There's a difference between the mild fatigue of effort and the sharp,

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nagging signals of injury. The old push through the pain mentality is simply not appropriate for

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anybody. One extra rest day prevents weeks of forced downtime. Missing one run to protect the

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sore knee is always the right call. Especially since recovery is an essential part of training.

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Your muscles may adapt like before, but your tendons, ligaments and joints need more time.

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Three days of training a week is plenty. Resist the urge to add more. On the rest days, you can

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do some simple bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges or calf raises to keep your knees and hips

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in shape. And remember to see your doctor for a checkup before starting, especially if you have

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any cardiovascular history. Running doesn't necessarily feel very natural at first when you

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start. It challenges your body in new ways that walking and cycling simply don't. And that's

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especially true for grownups. But the discomfort is temporary. It's the feeling of your body being

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asked to grow and reach new levels, and it's one of the most honest feelings there is.

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Why don't you take your first gentle running exercise to see how it feels? Give it time,

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give it structure, give it patience. And sooner than you think, you'll head out for a run not

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because you feel like you should, but because you genuinely want to. That's the whole game. And

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remember what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something and scale it back. Welcome to Scale to

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Fit. Fit in your 50s. And I am Marko Lindgren. Thank you so much for tuning in today. If this

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episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. All sounds are

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made by me, except the jingle that was made by Gemini. Send us your feedback via email to

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feedback@scaledto.fit or leave a rating at Podchaser.com. Check show notes at scaledto.fit, all the links are there.