So you think it is time to get out the door? Or get on a treadmill?
Your first step is that decision, and believe me, it is the toughest—but you can do it!
Making the choice of fitness is not a sprint, but a lifestyle choice. Your total health will benefit, and so will your self-image. Imagine that in a few months or less, you can enter a 5K Walk or Run!
I can walk, hike, or run with you along this journey—and we will love every minute of it! Imagine beautiful forest paths or protected trails. Imagine walking a little further when you’re ready.
Imagine jogging from one telephone pole to the next, and then walking some more.
We will make that happen!
“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”
– Vincent Lombardi
CASE STUDY: JAMES
I was having lunch with James, a business associate, whom I knew from a networking group. He was talking about his recovery from bronchitis and pneumonia. I asked him why he doesn’t work out now, as I am a triathlete and triathlete coach. He knew me as a sales rep for a glass company, but I had been training and racing for over 15 years. He said that he used to be active but “couldn’t anymore”, due to his prior illnesses and dietary restrictions.
I listened, and said to him “that’s a story”. You are telling this to yourself so you don’t have to exercise and take the risk to be healthy again, on a regular basis—your past has won. “Just a walk around the block at lunch is a good start—as well as getting you some fresh air”. I would continue to ask him if he just wanted to walk, but he would kindly decline.
However, James thought about it a lot. He then said he will get a final chest x-ray and determination from his doctor. He did so, got cleared, and said that he was open to the idea to begin a walking regimen. We began on a Friday night after work. He worked downtown, and by a city park, so we began walking around the park. And so began the Zero to 5k Journey.
- WEEK 1: 30 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES, THEN 1 HOUR (PACE NOT IMPORTANT)
- WEEK 2: 1 HOUR, 45 MIN, 30 MIN
- WEEK 3: HIKE 3.9 MI, 4.0 MI HIKE
- WEEK 4: 3.2 MI WALK, 3.0 MI WALK, 4.8 MI HIKE
- WEEK 5: 3.2 MI WALK, 3.1 MI WALK IN PARK
- WEEK 6: 3.07 WALK MI IN 50 MINUTES! 5.32 MI WALK IN 1:23, 3.81 HIKE NO TIME, JUST HIKING THE TRAILS.
- WEEK 7: 3.0 MI WALK, 5.2 MI WALK, 5.2 MI WALK
- WEEK 8: 5 MI WALK, 5.5 MILE WALK, 5.0 MI WALK
- WEEK 9: 7 MILE HIKE AT DASH POINT PARK
- WEEK 9 – 12: BEGIN WALK-JOG. JOGGING MORE AND WALKING LESS. OR CONTINUE WALKING—AT A TOLERABLE PACE. JAMES DECIDED TO JOG IT MORE.
- WEEK 13: FIND A 5K IN YOUR AREA. WE FOUND ONE, AND TRAINED 2-3 X WEEK TO COMPLETE WITH A NONSTOP JOG/ RUN.
- WEEK 15: JAMES WAS ABLE TO NONSTOP JOG THE COURSE, WITH ONE 25 SECOND WALK.
- WEEK 16: RACE DAY! JAMES WON HIS AGE GROUP FOR RUNNING THE 5K!
TESTIMONIALAbout six months after I met Coach Marquart at a networking group, we decided to have the required one-on-one lunch. The group does this so the members get to know each other as people. I knew her as the auto glass sales rep.
When she told me she was a triathlete and what she had done, I was blown away. She asked me about my athletic background, I explained that I had not run competitively in almost 40 years, I have a complex medical history, I injured myself every time I started training, and I was recovering from viral and bacterial pneumonia and bronchitis. When I told her that is why I do not exercise or train, she told me, “that’s a story.”
I declined her offer to go for a hike because I knew I would not be able to keep up with her. She kept asking me and about 4½ months later we started walking. We started with a mile a few times a week. Coach Marquart made sure that we did not go too far or fast too soon.
She also helped me understand that my injuries were diet/nutrition related. I did not know what electrolytes are or why they are important.
Coach Marquart and my doctor help me design a diet around my diabetes and many food allergies. We continued to comfortably increase the distance and speed of our walks and we shared hiking.
Two months later, she helped me buy the proper running shoes. She did not push me to start running. I promised a friend that if she organized a 5k, I would participate, walking or running. When the 5k became a reality, I decided to run it.
Coach Marquart designed a training program and ran/walked/hiked and biked with me. She also helped me pick out the proper bike. I had not ridden seriously in more than 30 years. My goal for the 5K was to simply finish.
I was dumbfounded when I won my age-group. This was less than 6 months after we started.
Better yet, my blood pressure and pulse are back to normal levels. My cholesterol and triglycerides are the lowest they have ever been. My blood sugar is down. My weight is about the same but I have gained muscle mass and gotten some of my chest out of my drawers. I am eating and sleeping better. I have more energy and endurance.
None of this would have been possible without Coach Marquart and her positive holistic approach. If I can do this after a 40-year layoff, anyone can.
BEGIN YOUR OWN ZERO TO 5K
- Start walking for a few minutes at a time 3 times per week
- 20-30 minutes is the recommended time for optimum fitness according to numerous studies
- Pace is not important! Just walk and enjoy. I can be with you, if you’d like to have an accountability partner
- Allow a rest day between walks
- Follow the “time” or “distance” plan to achieve your 5K goal
