The Wrinkled Runner
The Wrinkled Runner
You Don’t Need An Hour To Be A Runner
Hi Running Friends!
What if seven to ten minutes could reset your fitness, steady your mood, and strengthen your heart? I am touching on the topic of micro running—short, purposeful runs that deliver benefits without demanding an hour or a perfect schedule.
If this episode helps you rethink what “counts,” tap follow, and share it with a friend who thinks they’re too busy to run!
Resources:
Micro-Sessions for Runners- 5 workouts that break up the run into little chunks of fun
Women's Health UK article with Prof. Dan Augustine
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
I am also a Personal Trainer, and offer virtual training as well, in addition to Nutrition Coaching.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
On today's episode, we are going to be talking about micro running. This is a concept that has been used in the fitness world as far as micro dosing or micro sessions, your uh training as far as a lot of times they use it in a HIT perspective, the high-intensity interval training, the Tabata, which is a four-minute workout, and shows that there's benefits for your heart when you do these HIT training sessions. Now, what I'm talking about when I'm talking about these micro sessions for running, you don't necessarily have to have this be a high-intensity workout. In fact, if you are just beginning or you're older or you're coming back from injury, these micro sessions can be used just so that you can stay consistent with running. Because what studies are showing is in as little as seven minutes of running, you will have that benefit go to your heart. So if running is something that you wanted to get into but it's been intimidating for you, or you haven't run in a long time and you want to get back into it, or just the fact that this is adding some movement into your day, you can use micro sessions to get benefits for your fitness and get benefits too psychologically if you're not really into wanting to run outside for an hour every day or several times a week. This can be great for those of us who are older and might be busy. Well, any age really can be busy, obviously, with work and responsibilities and family and school and whatever. But to know that you can get that workout in because it's only say 10 minutes long, you are more likely to do that if you're not thinking, Oh my goodness, I have to go out and run six miles and I'll be out there for an hour. So, consistency, I always encourage consistency over anything else, as far as intensity or long runs, or you know, if you if you are marathon training and you can only get your long run in because you're not consistent, that is not going to help you get through the marathon any better. You need all the different kinds of runs in order to be successful in running the marathon. So if running smaller for shorter periods of time is going to help you be consistent, then it's great that there are people out there who are doing the research to show that even 10 minutes is going to benefit you. The main person who's really advocating for this is a professor in the UK, Dan Augustine, and he did an article for Runner's World UK and also Women's Health magazine. And I'll link to that in the show notes. And he is the one who said that if you do a run that is seven minutes long, you are you can reduce the risk of death from cardiac causes. The heart is very elastic and you can encourage it to be that way more when you get some of this exercise in. And for those of us who run, yeah, we want it to be running. So even as short as five minutes, though, will give you a benefit. One thing that's great about it is even if you have a treadmill at home that you can just hop on for 10 minutes after work, you can get that micro session in before you make dinner, after you make dinner, you know, in the morning before you get ready for work. So you're not having to get up at five in the morning to go out for this longer run, you're able to get these 10-minute sessions in. Obviously, more movement is better than no movement. So I think it's interesting that they are coming out with these studies that are showing that a shorter dose is beneficial for you. A lot of times, I think those of us who run, we think, well, you know, if I can't get out there for at least three miles, there's no point in even lacing up my shoes. But what this is showing is that even on days that you may not be able to get that long run in or that three miles in, or whatever you normally do or normally think is necessary, you can get in that 10 minutes. And I always find if I get in any movement at all, and you know, my workout in, it just helps with the whole rest of the day. I'm so glad when I get it in, I feel better, I'm I move better, I eat better. All of the things that go into being healthy, I find work better for me on days that I do get my workouts in. On days that I don't, it's very tempting to just be like, well, I'm not gonna work out today, so I'm just gonna sit here and watch movies and eat the snacks and stay up late and make make poor decisions about my health. But if I've gotten up and I've gotten that workout in, I tend to make better decisions through the rest of the day. So if that means all I have to do is get up and get on that treadmill for 10 minutes, then I'm more likely to do it and stay consistent and then make better decisions. It also means, too, that you could even combine your micro sessions throughout the day. So let's say you run a mile at a 10-minute pace. If you ran, you know, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, 10 minutes in the evening, you would get that three miles in. You didn't have to go out there for half an hour, you only had to go out for 10 minutes, but you were able to get that in. Now, the one thing about that is it it's probably better to have access to a treadmill if you are going to do more of a micro session, but two or three times a day, just because you can be a little more relaxed in what you're wearing and you're not having to bundle up. You know, I it's we just got through a snowstorm here in Buffalo. The snow is falling again right now, uh, as I record this, and it wasn't supposed to, and I that is always so annoying to me. I always feel like you'd think with the technology they can get weather reports halfway decently right, but I feel like they never do. Uh, but I got a treadmill for Christmas, and so I have been doing a lot of my running on a treadmill. It's great having the treadmill. I am so thankful I have it, even though I hate the treadmill for running, but I've been so grateful to have it this winter because I just have not been able to get outside. That that gratefulness has been made has made me really, really consistent. But if you don't have access to one and you do have to get there and go outside, then just know that even getting out there for 10 minutes is going to benefit you. So if that is going to help you to stay consistent and that is going to help you to get back into running or get into running, just know that the science is saying that micro sessions do work. And I'm gonna link you to the resources in the show notes that I used to look through all this and uh also give you a couple of ways to set up your run for those 10 minutes.