The urge to improve your health comes to us all at some point, and often that leads people to try running. The first time you set off, however, will probably be a shock to the system.
Our bodies take time to adapt to new activities and going straight into non-stop running—even for a short period—puts the body under stress it just isn’t used to.
As well as feeling awful, you may suffer an injury, or at the very least feel uncommonly sore the next day.
But there is a better way.
When you start running for the first time, you should spend more time at a walking pace than running, says Marwa Ahmed, founder and CEO of The BodyMind Coach.
The NASM-certified personal trainer and running coach, with more than seven years of experience in turning walkers into runners, tells Fit&Well that while you may have your heart set on running a 5K tomorrow, your lower body just can’t make the jump that quickly.
“When transitioning to running, the impact forces jump up significantly, from about one to one and a half times your body weight per step in walking to two to three times your body weight in running,” she says.
“That means your connective tissues, like Achilles tendons and plantar fascia, need weeks to adjust and adapt to the new load.”
She adds that rushing this process is how people end up with pain and injury, which takes months to recover from.
If you have never run before, Ahmed suggests building up gradually, taking at least eight weeks.
In fact, she has an eight-week plan that can follow.
How to do the eight-week walk-to-run plan
Ahmed sets one walk-run workout per fortnight, which is to be performed three times a week, leaving at least one rest day between each session.
“Your body rebuilds and strengthens during recovery, not during the workout itself,” she says.
Each workout follows the same pattern. You begin with a five-minute warm-up, walking at a slow pace. Then you jog for a set period of time, followed by two minutes of walking to to complete one round of the workout. Complete five to six rounds in total. Finally, you cool down with a slow walk for five minutes.
Note that the jogging part of each session should feel easy. You should be able to chat comfortably with no gasping or heavy breathing.
The first time you do a workout, do the fewest number of rounds. After repeating the workout a few times, add another round—this will help you to progress safely.
Keep in mind that you may need more than eight weeks to complete the plan, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Pay close attention to how your body feels during and after the session,” says Ahmed.
“A bit of muscle soreness 24-48 hours later is totally normal as you're building new capacity. But sharp, localized pain in your shins, knees, or the bottom of your foot is your cue to drop back to the previous week's progression for another full week.
“Give your body the time it needs to adapt and don't rush the progression.”
Ahmed also suggests selecting an easier terrain to run on.
“When you can, start your walks or runs on softer surfaces like grass, dirt trails, or tracks,” she says.
“Concrete and asphalt place more stress on your joints over time, especially if you’re doing higher volume or higher speeds,” she says.
“Slow down and focus on building endurance first, not speed.”
Here’s the exact eight-week plan Ahmed gives clients who don’t run at all.
Weeks 1-2
Warm-up: 5min slow walking
Workout: 1min jog / 2min walking recovery x 5-6
Cool-down: 5min slow walking
Weeks 3-4
Warm-up: 5min slow walking
Workout: 2min jog / 2min walking recovery x 5-6
Cool-down: 5min slow walking
Weeks 5-6
Warm-up: 5min slow walking
Workout: 3min jog / 2min walking recovery x 5-6
Cool-down: 5min slow walking
Weeks 7-8
Warm-up: 5min slow walking
Workout: 5min jog / 2min walking recovery x 4-6
Cool-down: 5min slow walking
What to do next
Once you’ve completed the eight-week plan without pain or injury, add one or two minutes to your run segments each week while trimming down the walking sections, until you’re stringing together 20-30 minutes of straight running.
“Stay at a conversational pace,” advises Ahmed. “If you can't talk in full sentences, you're pushing too hard.”
