BEGINNER 5K RUNNING TRAINING PLAN

Your 8 Week Beginner 5K Training Plan This plan is designed for complete beginners preparing for their first 5K, as well as runners returning after some time away. Over eight weeks, we'll gradually build your running and help you work towards one simple goal: completing 5K. You'll run three days each week, giving your body plenty of time to recover between sessions. On the other days you can rest completely or, if you want to stay active, enjoy something gentle such as walking, swimming or cycling. There's no need to add extra exercise simply because the plan says it's a rest day. The early sessions use a combination of running and walking before gradually increasing the amount of time you spend running. Don't worry about speed and don't feel you have to run continuously. Walking is part of the programme, and if a run/walk approach works for you, there's absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to use it. Before every session, give yourself time to warm up and afterwards allow time to cool down. These aren't included in the running times shown in the plan. As your sessions become longer, your warm-up and cool-down become increasingly important, so from Week 3 onwards allow at least five minutes for each. Every training day we'll tell you exactly what to do, and throughout the programme we'll also introduce you to useful running advice relevant to where you are in your journey. We'll cover subjects including training, running shoes, nutrition, recovery, injuries and some of the questions that commonly come up when you first start running. Don't worry if everything doesn't go perfectly. If you miss a session, have a difficult week or need to repeat a workout before moving on, that's fine. This isn't about completing every session exactly as written. It's about gradually becoming fitter, stronger and more confident.