Running

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   Run Ten Minutes

   Ten minutes of running without stopping

   19 Steps, about 27 minutes each. Total beginners, including people who haven't run since school. Walking for 30 minutes should feel doable.

   1. Chapter 1: Get moving. Three runs done, stretches and shoe check sorted, and running in short bursts feels doable.
   2. Chapter 2: Longer jogs. Two- and three-minute jogs, strength for runners, relaxed form and easier breathing.
   3. Chapter 3: Five minutes and more. Five minutes of nonstop running, shins looked after, and your big run route picked.
   4. Chapter 4: Ten minutes, no stopping. Eight-minute jogs, then ten minutes of running without stopping.

   1. 1
      Run 1: one minute at a time

      Eight rounds of 1 minute jogging and 90 seconds walking, done.

      Run-walk intervals are how almost every beginner program starts, including the NHS Couch to 5K. You alternate short jogs with walking breaks, so your heart, lungs, muscles and joints adapt gradually instead of all at once.

      Your heart and lungs get fitter quickly, often in a couple of weeks. Bones, tendons and joints adapt much more slowly. Most beginner injuries happen when breathing feels ready for more but legs aren't. The walking breaks protect them.

      The detail beginners miss is pace. Beginners run too fast. Jog at a pace where you could say a short sentence out loud, called the talk test. If you're gasping, slow down, even to a shuffle that's barely faster than walking.

      Here's an example. A 5-minute brisk walk. Timer set: 1 minute jog, 90 seconds walk, 8 rounds. First jog feels slow and easy; by round 6, breathing is heavier, so the jog gets slower. Round 8 done. 5-minute walk to cool down.

      Right is finishing feeling like you could have done a little more. If you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, or haven't exercised in a long time, talk to a doctor before starting. Stop if you feel chest pain, faintness or sharp pain anywhere.

      Fleet Feet, 4:56NHS
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Recovery: stretch it out

      A 6-minute post-run stretch routine done, and you know it by heart.

      Run Better with Ash, 6:19
   3. 3
      Run 2: warm up first

      Run 1 again, this time with a dynamic warm-up first.

      Yoga With Tim, 6:47Norton Healthcare

   See all 19 Steps

   1. 4
      Recovery: check your shoes

      You know whether your shoes are right for running, and how to lace them.

      Global Triathlon Network, 6:46REI
   2. 5
      Run 3: longer jogs

      Six rounds of 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes walking.

      Runna TV, 13:38RunnersConnect
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   3. 6
      Recovery: strength for runners

      A 10-minute bodyweight strength session done.

      Jeffrey Peng MD, 9:19
   4. 7
      Run 4: two-minute jogs

      Five rounds of 2 minutes jogging and 2 minutes walking.

      Global Triathlon Network, 6:30NHS
   5. 8
      Recovery: relaxed running form

      You know the 4 form cues and practiced them in short strides.

      Global Triathlon Network, 9:35Norton Healthcare
   6. 9
      Run 5: three-minute jogs

      Four rounds of 3 minutes jogging and 90 seconds walking.

      Richard Diaz, 2:43RunnersConnect
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   7. 10
      Recovery: breathe easier

      You've practiced belly breathing and a breathing rhythm on a walk.

      Fleet Feet, 5:37Feetures
   8. 11
      Run 6: five minutes in one go

      Jog 3, walk 1.5, jog 5, walk 2.5, jog 3, walk 1.5, jog 5 (minutes).

      Doc Lyss Fitness, 8:44NHS
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   9. 12
      Recovery: look after your shins

      You know the signs of shin splints and did the prevention exercises.

      The Run Experience, 6:27MedlinePlus
   10. 13
       Run 7: repeat and own it

       Run 6 again, and it feels easier than last time.

       Nicklas Rossner, 8:58
   11. 14
       Recovery: plan your big run route

       A flat route picked for your ten-minute run, and a plan for the day.

       NHS
   12. 15
       Run 8: three fives

       Jog 5, walk 3, jog 5, walk 3, jog 5 (minutes).

       Nicklas Rossner, 8:35Norton Healthcare
   13. 16
       Recovery: strength, round two

       A slightly harder strength session: 3 rounds instead of 2.

       The Running Channel, 13:55
   14. 17
       Run 9: eight minutes

       Jog 8, walk 5, jog 8 (minutes).

       NHS, 4:40RunnersConnect
   15. 18
       Recovery: rest and get ready

       A gentle walk, stretches and everything ready for your big run.

       Run Better with Ash, 11:03
   16. 19
       Run 10: ten minutes, no stopping

       Ten minutes of continuous jogging.

       James Hester, 12:13NHS
       Show your group
2. 2
   Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   First 5K

   Your first 5K, finished

   20 Steps, about 28 minutes each. Runners who finished Level 1 or can already run ten minutes without stopping.

   1. Chapter 1: Longer, easier runs. A proper warm-up, your easy pace found, two ten-minute runs back to back, and fifteen minutes without stopping.
   2. Chapter 2: Strides and strength. Strides that wake up your legs, stronger knees and hips, a quicker cadence, and twenty minutes non-stop.
   3. Chapter 3: Hills and recovery. Hills run with good form, foam rolling and rest days that work, and twenty-five minutes without stopping.
   4. Chapter 4: Your first 5K. A 5K chosen and signed up for, a dress rehearsal, race week planned, and your first 5K finished.

   1. 1
      Run 1: ten easy minutes

      Ten minutes of easy running again, slower than you think you need to go.

      Level 2 starts where Level 1 ended: ten minutes of easy running. The goal of this Era is to triple that to thirty minutes, roughly a 5K for most beginners, without getting hurt.

      The key to running longer is running easy. Most of your runs should be at a conversational pace, where you could talk in full sentences. Easy running builds the aerobic base, the heart, lung and muscle fitness that lets you run for longer.

      The detail beginners miss is that easy means slower than you think. Most new runners run every run too fast, which leaves them tired, stalls progress and raises injury risk. If your easy run doesn't feel almost too slow, slow down.

      Here's an example. 5-minute brisk walk. 10 minutes of running at a pace where a full sentence is possible. Breathing relaxed. A 5-minute walk to cool down, then stretches. Effort rated 5 out of 10.

      Right is finishing feeling like you could keep going. In this Era, there's a rest or recovery day between every run, and the waits enforce it. Stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness, or sharp pain, and see a doctor before starting if you have a heart condition or any doubts.

      NHS
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Recovery: learn a warm-up

      A five-minute dynamic warm-up you can do before every run.

      Brooks Running
   3. 3
      Run 2: two tens

      Two ten-minute runs with a three-minute walk between them.

      REI

   See all 20 Steps

   1. 4
      Recovery: find your easy pace

      Your easy pace written down, using the talk test or heart rate.

      Norton Healthcare
   2. 5
      Run 3: fifteen minutes

      Fifteen minutes of running without stopping.

      NHS
      Show your group
   3. 6
      Recovery: strong knees

      A ten-minute strength routine for knees and hips, done with good form.

      Hinge Health
   4. 7
      Run 4: easy run with strides

      Twelve easy minutes, then four strides.

      Runners Connect
   5. 8
      Recovery: check your cadence

      Your cadence (steps per minute) measured, and a target set 5 percent higher.

      Wahoo Fitness
   6. 9
      Run 5: eighteen minutes

      Eighteen minutes non-stop, with one-minute bursts at your new cadence.

      Runners Connect
   7. 10
      Recovery: fuel and water

      A plan for what you eat and drink before and after your runs.

      Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
   8. 11
      Run 6: twenty minutes

      Twenty minutes of running without stopping, followed by four strides.

      NHS
      Show your group
   9. 12
      Recovery: foam roll

      A ten-minute foam rolling routine for your calves, quads, hamstrings, hips and glutes.
   10. 13
       Run 7: a hilly route

       Twenty minutes on a route with at least one hill, run with good uphill and downhill form.

       Runners Connect
   11. 14
       Recovery: rest well

       A full rest day, with your week planned so every run has a rest day after it.

       ASICS
   12. 15
       Run 8: twenty-five minutes

       Twenty-five minutes of running without stopping.

       REI
       Show your group
   13. 16
       Recovery: choose your 5K

       A 5K picked and signed up for, about 10 to 14 days from now.

       Run to the Finish
   14. 17
       Run 9: dress rehearsal

       Twenty-eight minutes in your race-day clothes and shoes, with your race-day snack, ideally on the course.

       ACTIVE
   15. 18
       Recovery: plan race week

       Race week planned: two short easy runs, rest the day before, and your morning timeline written down.

       ACTIVE
   16. 19
       Recovery: rest and lay out your kit

       A rest day before the race, with everything laid out for the morning.

       ACTIVE
   17. 20
       Run your first 5K

       Your first 5K finished, at your own pace, and celebrated.

       NHS
       Show your group
3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   10K

   A 10K race

Where it ends: a 10K race

Free lessons in Run Ten Minutes come from Fleet Feet, NHS, Run Better with Ash, Yoga With Tim, Norton Healthcare, Global Triathlon Network, REI, Runna TV, RunnersConnect, Jeffrey Peng MD, Richard Diaz, Feetures, Doc Lyss Fitness, The Run Experience, MedlinePlus, Nicklas Rossner, The Running Channel, James Hester. We link to their work and never copy it.