Running Schedule for Beginners

Running Schedule for Beginners

There are many ways to answer the question of how to start running, but as you will see by using a proper running schedule for beginners that this is perhaps the easiest and most basic approach to get you started on your fitness journey.

The main point to remember is that you are best to start out slowly with a continued progression and gradually increase the amount of time you can run for and then you can look at increasing your speed.

Remember the old cliché ‘don’t run before you can walk’, well it is certainly true when it comes to starting your running program.

A word of caution

I always say that if you start out running by going to hard right from the start, then it will make it harder for you to progress.

All forms of exercise should become more challenging as you go in order to be effective, and you should always begin your training program from a comfortable starting point, which means you don’t go all-out on Day one.

Taking the approach where you’re starting at your maximum, you only have one way to go – and that’s backwards. On the hand, if you start well below your maximum, you can work towards improving your fitness as your body gets used to running and the increased levels of exertion.

So I am sure you would agree there’s only one way to start running and that is slowly.

If you’d like to learn more about how to get fitter, how you can feel better and even lose a bit of weight by starting to run, then you should take a look here – Running For Beginners

Getting Started

Select a track that is familiar to you, one that has a circular route that should take you around 30 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace.

The best way to start your first session is by walking leisurely for about 5 minutes. It helps if the track is nice and flat and is comfortable to walk on.

Next, you can start to do some running specific stretches, you can read more about which stretches you are best to do before and after your run and also how to do them in ‘How to Start Running’ – a complete program dedicated to running for beginners.

These stretches generally take approximately 2-3 minutes to complete and will help to lengthen your muscle fibres and also loosen up the joints.

 

Running Schedule for Beginners – Option #1

Getting started on the main section of your workout, I want you to begin walking again, but this time you should be walking with a little more purpose. Now that you are walking with a brisk stride, you can start to use your arms and working your body much harder than before.

You can try imagining that you’re in a rush to get somewhere. In the next section of your training you will have a go at running.

If you’ve never run before, then it’s probably best if you run at a leisurely pace in a stride that is comfortable for you, don’t worry too much about your structure for now.

I would suggest you simply try short bursts of very slow running following that with a gentle walk until your breathing and heart rate has lowered and you feel comfortable to get going again.

Repeat this pattern of walking and running throughout the entire session.

Running Schedule for Beginners - Option #2

If you feel a little more comfortable running, albeit very slowly for a minute or two without stopping, then you should consider using this approach.

Try to run for one minute followed by a 5 minute walk. When you start to walk again, take it very slowly, this will allow you to get your breathe back and will also help your muscles to recover. To finish up, pick up your walking speed to a brisk pace by the end of the 5 minutes.

If you feel that running for a full minute is a bit too much to start with then you can start out with a 30 second spell of running instead.

On your next time out, simply repeat your first session exactly.

Then on your next training session, use the same track but this time you should try to increase your running time by another 30 seconds. So on your third session, you’re running for a full 1 minute 30 seconds with walking breaks of 4 minutes 30 seconds.

For session number four simply repeat session number three again.

Then on your fifth session you can increase your run time by another 30 seconds and while also reducing your walk time by the same. All up, this means you’ll be running for 2 minutes and walking for 4 minutes.

Continue your training using the same principle until you can run the entire session, then as you become fitter and stronger you can start to increase your running distance or your running pace, it all depends on your running goal.

Just make sure that after your workout you remember to stretch out again using the stretches as shown in ‘How to Start Running’

Running Schedule for Beginners - “The How to Start Running” Book

If you’d like to find out more about this running schedule for beginners so you can learn to start running, how you can discover many more training techniques that will help you to get a great start with your running, or if you just want to lose weight and improve your fitness levels quickly, you can find out more here – How To Start Running.