Beginners Programme from 0 to 5k in 12 weeks
If you are an absolute beginner, then we suggest that you should be able to do brisk walking for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week before you start week 1 of the programme. We think that training 3 times a week will enable you to make good progress. If this doesn't fit in, add or deduct a session. When you start to run, go SLOWLY to begin with, not much faster than a walk. Your breathing should be sufficiently easy that you can talk all the time you're running. If you find that you are hurting then you are probably going too fast. SLOW DOWN and try running less and walking more and gradually build up. If you find that you are more than comfortable and feel able to manage more, perhaps do only 1 day of that week and then move on. Don't worry about distance, just concentrate on timing yourself, but as a guide to your speed, you should be covering 1 mile or less each session in your first weeks.

Always start a session with a brisk walk or jog for about 5 minutes before you start running, and then gently stretch (see 'Stretching' or more details). Although this is technically excellent, we actually do it because whichever way we go from our houses, we have a hill, and it's much easier to walk!

Beginners Program
Beginners Running Program
After sticking to a programme for a few months, running will become part of your life. You'll love feeling fitter, you're energy level will be boosted, and regular running will help keep your weight down if you're watching the pounds. However, we all have busy lives and sometimes it's just not possible to fit everything in. When we haven't made time to exercise, our bodies will soon let us know - we start to feel lethargic, lardy and our muscles and joints feel stiff. Try not to let this happen, but if it does, gently ease back into sessions again - you know you can do it and that running really is worthwhile.