Run my first 10K
You keep telling yourself it would be good to run. Maybe you've tried: three runs that were too fast, a stitch, and the urge fading away. From where you are, ten kilometres feels like another world.
Too fast, too soon
Many first attempts stop for the same reason: starting too fast. Your breath gives out, your legs ache, and the verdict lands: "running isn't for me".
Yet your body does progress, as long as you alternate: walk, run, recover. Rest days count as much as the runs.
Start with the gear, the route and the slots in your calendar. Then go a little longer each time. The 10K comes at the end, not at the start.
An example of the path
Here's what this project can look like once it's broken down. Yours starts from your answers, beginning with what you already have and what's holding you back. It will come out different, and that's on purpose.
- Milestone 1
Get set up
- Pick your running shoes at a sports shopDone
- Put together a simple, comfortable outfit for your first runs
- Find a simple, flat 2 to 3 km route near home
- Block 3 sessions a week in your calendar for 4 weeks
- Milestone 2
Mix walking and running
You alternate running and walking until you can keep going for 20 minutes without being worn out.
Coming up, broken down when you get there - Milestone 3
Run 20 minutes straight
You run 20 minutes straight, at an easy pace where you can still talk.
Coming up, broken down when you get there - Milestone 4
Go longer
You move up to 30 or 40 minutes of continuous running, with no pain and no stitch.
Coming up, broken down when you get there - Milestone 5
10K day
Your first 10K, run all the way, at your own pace.
Coming up, broken down when you get there
Your first step, tonight
Pick your running shoes at a sports shop
Tell the shop assistant you're a beginner: they'll point you to a pair made for that.
How the path adapts to you
You say all of this in the opening questions, and you can change it later.
- Already running a bit? Say so under "What you already have": the plan starts where you are.
- Got a race in mind? Give its date under "By when?": sessions are set so you're ready on the day.
- Three runs a week is too much? With "A few times a week", the plan spreads out at that pace.
Your project has waited long enough.
Name your goal. It starts here.
In a few minutes, you'll know exactly where to start. The first step takes less time than thinking about it again.
Start this project