Sporty Sunday: Walk-Run Playlist

Hi Kasmira!
I am planning to go from walking to jogging very soon and do you have any sage advise or tips to improve my odds for success for this transition/ My knees and ankles are a bit weak. Surface tips or shoe tips?
thanks!
Reva

I’ve stopped running for weeks or months at a time due to weather or life changes. When I decide to start running, again, it’s always a struggle! My favorite technique for transitioning from walking to running is an interval playlist.

Before making a change to your exercise routine, I recommend seeing your doctor, particularly if you have any pre-existing condition, such as joint trouble.
I also recommend visiting a reputable fitness shoe store, such as The Running Spot, to be properly fitted for shoes.
Interval training has long been recognized as an extremely effective way of building endurance and capacity. By gradually incorporating more and longer run intervals into your walking routine, you can safely and effectively transition from a walker to a runner. The intervals can be constructed by various lengths of time (e.g. alternating 1 minute walking and 30 seconds running), but I prefer to use songs. The following is a progression of playlist patterns:

1. Starting Out: Create a 30-minute playlist with a pattern of 2 slow songs, 1 fast song
2. Increase the length of the running interval: Add 1 fast song to your playlist for a pattern of 2 slow songs, 2 fast songs
3. Decrease the number of walking intervals: Remove 1 slow song from your playlist for a pattern of 1 slow song, 2 fast songs

Try running three times a week, for two weeks, before making a change to your playlist pattern. The patterns can be altered to meet your progressing fitness level. The goal is to, eventually, transition to an all-running playlist of up-tempo music.

To get you going, here is a sample, 34-minute playlist for those just starting to transition from walking to running:

Playlist
You’ve Got a Friend, James Taylor
Mellow Yellow, Donovan
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
Don’t Know Why, Norah Jones
Ice Cream, Sarah McLachlan
Objection (Tango), Shakira
Let it Be, Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum (from the Across The Universe soundtrack)
The Lucky One, Au Revoir Sione
Hide Behind My Glasses, Fishbone
Obviously, I stopped paying attention to popular/new music years ago.

(This list ends with a run…be sure to cool down with a walk before ending your workout.)

While I seem to have plenty of slower selections in my music library, I struggle to find new, fast songs for running. What up-tempo songs get you motivated?

Sporty Sunday is a recurring feature in which I share my fitness routine and offer and solicit advice. While this content might seem a little out of place in an outfit diary, a healthy, strong body is the foundation of my wardrobe. I hope to inspire my readers to be fit as well as stylish!