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Old 06-29-2009, 02:26 PM   #5 (permalink)
pliftkl

Orange Belt
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 358
Rather than going straight to sprints, I'd focus on some initial longer cardio workouts just to start training the heart to be more efficient. Keep these as easy workouts - don't let your heart rate get up much above 140, and work up to being able to keep some level of effort going for an hour. That will help give you a much better base from which you can start adding sprints or other high intensity work.

I quit smoking and started running at the same time (many years ago). I ran 5 times a week, and added distance slowly, never worrying about speed. My lungs felt a LOT better within just a couple weeks, and by the end of a month, my cardio for other activities was WAY better.
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