If you've hoped you could get into running, but found the initial workouts to be too difficult, take heart. If you don't ease into running, you'll find yourself wearing out too fast because running is truly challenging exercise. The best way to evolve from walking to running is to gradually run more and walk less so that the exercise sessions are never too difficult. It’ll take time and perseverance, but eventually you’ll get there.
Try the stopwatch method of working from walking to running. Your handy dandy stopwatch can be an incredibly effective training tool. You'll begin your exercise session by walking until your muscles are warm. Next increase your pace until you are running at a comfortable pace, running until you feel it getting to be too difficult to be enjoyable. Pay attention to how long you were able to run while feeling comfortable. Don't be discouraged if it's as little as 30 seconds. Reduce your pace to a walk and catch your breath for double the time you were able to run and enjoy it. Keep timing yourself as you walk and run, making sure you walk double the time you spend running. As you progress through workouts, you'll want to reduce the amount of time you spend walking such that you walk an equal amount of time as you run, and then half the time you run, and eventually cut walking out altogether.
Another effective way to work your way into running is to let a heart rate monitor be your guide. A heart rate monitor is one of the best tools for easing your way into running. Calculate out what your fat burning zone heart rate is, and then set out for your workout by walking. Once your muscles are warmed up, start running, watching your heart rate monitor, pushign yourself until your heart rate is up in your fat burning zone. When your heart rate monitor reports that you have hit the top of your fat burning zone, change your pace to a walk until your heart rate drops to the lower end of your fat burning zone. Keep running and walking, always keeping within your fat burning heart rate zone, so you'll have an exercise session that is challenging but not too hard. After several workouts like this, you'll discover you can run the entire time, but still be in your fat burning zone.
These two methods take time, but they work.
