This is the running plan I used after giving up smoking. Although it looks easy I found that I was getting breathless quite quickly. The trick is to start slowly, stick to the plan and keep at it. If you have a break don’t give up, just go back a stage or two and you’ll soon recover.
It can be tempting to reduce the walk recovery period, but this just makes it harder and more likely you’ll be too tired to continue! The important part of this plan is to take it slowly and carefully to minimize the risk of injury. Since your just starting to run, muscles, ligaments and the cardiovascular system are unused the sorts of demands being placed on them and they take time to adjust, recover and strengthen. Don’t push too hard to soon. That doesn’t mean stopping because your a bit breathless or its hard work, just be sensible and don’t rush.
Unfortunately I made all of the above mistakes such as skipping stages, cutting back the recovery period, giving up and then resuming at the same level. I managed to pick up some injuries, take a hard fall and lose motivation as a result, but am getting better at being sensible now.
The following running plan uses a one and two day break period. For example run Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Rest on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday when a gentle walk can often be beneficial although remember these are rest days. If any week is particularly tiring, just repeat it the following week instead of pushing to step up to the next stage.
- Week 1: Run 2 minutes, walk 4 minutes. Repeat 5 times
- Week 2: Run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 5 times
- Week 3: Run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes. Repeat 4 times
- Week 4: Run 7 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 3 times
- Week 5: Run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times
- Week 6: Run 9 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times then run 8 minutes 1 time
- Week 7: Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 3 times
- Week 8: Run 13 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times
- Week 9: Run 14 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 2 times
- Week 10: Run 30 minutes. Repeat once and celebrate!
20 responses so far ↓
1 pallen // Dec 21, 2007 at 12:30 pm
I’m on week 3 now and its going OK but I get really breathless by the end and don’t know how I’m going to last an extra 2 mins on the next stage.
2 admin // Dec 21, 2007 at 1:42 pm
@pallen. If your really struggling then just extend that stage for another week. Your bound to get a bit breathless as you asking your body to do more than its used to and the speed at which it adapts varies from person to person.
The hardest stage for me (apart from week 1!) was week 4 which I extended by 5 days. However I found that after completing the 9 minutes stage at week 6 I had a real breakthrough and felt I could run for much longer than needed to progress to the next stage.
If your breathing is really causing a problem, or your experiencing any pains, then you should seek medical advice without delay. Hopefully you checked with your doctor before starting the program.
Good luck with week 3 and let us know how you get on!
3 Brian // Jan 16, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I’m on week 6 and feeling great. I also quit smoking a few months ago and this program had really made running more accessible than it was in the past. I did have a little trouble with week 5 so I extended it for a week. I know I still have a few weeks left, but what’s a good program for training for a my first 5k this spring?
4 beginrunning // Jan 17, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Nice one Brian! I’m glad to hear your doing well and found the plan accessible. Its such a good feeling being able to run when you’ve given up smoking. This plan can be used to prepare for 5k quite easily since it takes your up to running for 30 minutes. While a 5k time depends on age,weight,fitness and gender – its probably going to be no longer than 35 to 45 minutes and maybe nearer 30 minutes. You can add a week to the plan to take you up to 40 minutes which comes very easily. After that, running 3 times per week alternating the following on a weekly basis
Theres no real need to include the fast intervals and these are probably the quickest way to pick up an injury or twist an ankle. Flat, forgiving ground is vital. I also found that a niggling knee problem didn’t appear until I was regularly doing 40 minute runs, but then I am a bit decrepit! The following is geared to increasing speed for a 5k and seems OK http://running.about.com/od/5kplans/a/advbeg5k.htm. Good luck Brian, it would be great to hear how you get on.
5 CT // Mar 11, 2008 at 8:05 am
I’ve just found your website. Thank you for the outline on how to begin. I was wondering if you have any additional comments for those of us who are very overweight. I am very athletic and although my cardio is pretty bad right now, I am strong and able to work out. I’ve gained a bit of weight over the last few years following having children. I noticed that there isn’t anything about warm up or cool down. Any additional insight is appreciated.
thanks!
CT
6 beginrunning // Mar 11, 2008 at 10:03 am
@CT - Glad you liked the outline plan. Re overweight runners - assuming your doctor has cleared you to start running, I guess the most noticeable difference will be increased stresses particularly on joints. You’ve probably got an advantage as your strong and athletic and will know the difference between healthy muscle aches and pains that require attention!
I would imagine that correct shoe choice will be even more important for the overweight runner as lighter runners can often get away with the wrong shoe type for a while. Also any of the biomechanics related problems may show up earlier since the additional stresses will cause problems more quickly. It could also be helpful to choose softer (but stable) ground if its available.
As for warm up and cool down you right to point this out. I have to admit that when I started I was too lazy to do either although I’m definitely out of that habit now. To warm up I initially found five minutes brisk walking to be ok with the same to warm down. To end a session, the basic static stretches are a good idea too - theres a few here. I hope you have lots of fun running and improving you cardio.
7 CT // Mar 12, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Thanks so much for the quick reply and great insight. I’ll check back withyou as I progess through the schedule.
THANKS!!!!
8 bonbon // Mar 25, 2008 at 1:49 am
What speed should i use to follow your 10 week plan? i just tried to run for 2 min followed by walking 2 min and i already find it very tired after workout.
9 beginrunning // Mar 25, 2008 at 1:25 pm
@bonbon - It sounds like you’ve cut your walk recovery period short as on the first week it should be run 2 minutes and walk 4 minutes, repeat 5 times. This should make it a little easier and it will be easier to judge what speed you should be going after you’ve done it a few times. Ultimately you want to be going fast enough to make it a challenge, but in the beginning its a good idea to take it easy and let your body (and your mind!) get used to these new demands.
Its good to be tired after the workout however you should check with your doctor that its OK for you to run.
10 bonbon // Mar 25, 2008 at 8:30 pm
THanks! Will try that again!
11 Shannon // Apr 24, 2008 at 7:40 am
First of all, I was so glad to find advice that didn’t scare me away from running and looked easy for starters. I was getting in the mindset to just do something, and your advice looked pretty doable to say the least! Well, my little brother (who is obese) and I (also overweight) started your plan! We changed it just a little, and added another week in the beginning, running 1 minute and walking 5 minutes. I didn’t want to scare him, and we are now both hooked! I lost 5 pounds after the first 2 running sessions, and now do basic yoga stretching 6 days a week. There is a big difference and I am so proud of my little brother! I am 22, he is 14, and the plan works for both of us. Thanks!
12 beginrunning // Apr 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
@Shannon - Its great to hear you and your Brother have found the plan useful and it was a good idea adding the extra week in the beginning to make it easier to get into. You’ve achieved a lot already and your little brother is lucky having you around! The basic yoga and stretching sounds great and I’ve found stretching really helpful, especially with easing / preventing some aches.
Thanks for taking the time to post a comment on the plan and it would be great to hear how you progress. I hope summer will be a whole lot more fun now you’re running!
13 Norm/Toronto // Jun 11, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Tommorow will be dY ONE.
My gut measured 44.5 inches.
14 Ron // Aug 4, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Thanks for the great information…
At 40 years old and 240 lbs I suppose it aint comming off by just laying off the pizza and beer.
Im at week two and happily 8 lbs lighter. If I can do it anyone can.. busy job, family ect…
Thanks again
15 beginrunning // Aug 5, 2008 at 1:00 pm
@Ron - Great going there Ron - losing 8lbs in 2 weeks must have put a smile on your face! Cheers
16 The Essence Blog » Blog Archive » “Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute – repeat 3 times”, by Ana Piquinela // Aug 11, 2008 at 8:47 pm
[...] * From http://www.beginrunning.com/plans/easy-running-plan-to-start-on/ [...]
17 Aurelia // Aug 12, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I was wondering at which speed I should be running on the treadmill. I’m on week one and I do the walking portion at a speed of 3.2-3.5 mph. I do the running at a speed of 4.5 (o incline). At the end of 30 minutes, I have finished 2 miles (10 laps) according to the machine.
Should I increase the speed and if so when?
Thanks,
Aurelia
18 beginrunning // Aug 13, 2008 at 1:24 pm
@aurelia - Its hard to say how fast you should be running as everyone has different fitness levels, experience, weight, age etc.
A good guide is that you should be able to hold a conversation while your running (you might get some strange looks from people on the cross trainer!)
Its worth experimenting with different speeds until you find a comfortable level.
The walk period is aimed at letting you recover and drop heart rate while keeping moving, so you shouldn’t be walking too fast . Again its something you’ll want to experiment with.
After awhile you’ll get a feel for your preferred speed and by the end of the plan will know when you want to increase speed for a faster session and when you just want an easy running day.
Congratulations on doing the first week.
19 tamika // Aug 24, 2008 at 6:51 am
hi i started exercising today only i pushed myself too hard i ran/walk for 30 min 15 min per 1.86 miles and was feeling a little dissy at the end i am 5ft 6 and weight 175 lb i have not exercised in about a year im just wondering if thats ok for me or do i need try somthing else
20 beginrunning // Aug 26, 2008 at 4:17 am
@Tamika I guess the first thing to recommend would be a visit to the doctor to check everything is OK and it’s safe for you to exercise. Don’t forget to tell them what/how much exercise you were doing when the symptoms started.
Generally dizziness during or after exercise can occur for a number of reasons. Often it’s just down to overdoing it, especially if you haven’t run for a while or aren’t used to exercise. Other reasons can include lack of oxygen (ineffective breathing or inability to get the amount of oxygen you need for that level of exertion), lack of energy (not enough calories consumed near running session) or a drop in blood pressure.
Hope you get an all clear from the doc and get back into running at a slightly easier pace!
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