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An 8-Week Beginner's Training Schedule to Build Distance

From About.com
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created on November 9, 2005

This training schedule takes you from running 30 minutes at 5/1 ratios (run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute) to running 60 minutes at 5/1 ratios in 8 weeks.

Prerequisites

Before you start this training schedule, you need to: or
  • Be able to complete a 30 minute run (with at least 5 min run/1 min walk ratios)
  • Be able to run 3 days a week
With this training schedule you can pick any 3 days of the week to run. You can even move them around each week to fit your schedule. On your rest days, you can crosstrain or rest. I suggest one to two days of resting and two to three days of crosstraining. A nice leisurely stroll, a fun unstrenuous aerobics class, or a relaxing yoga routine are all wonderful options.

You also need to understand the annotations for the table below. 5/1 x5 =30 means five minutes of running followed by one minute of walking is repeated five times for a total of thirty minutes. A 10-minute warm up and cool down are assumed. Don't forget to do them and stretch (if desired)!

And now, without further ado:

Beginner's Training - Distance

Week Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
1 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x5 =30
2 5/1 x6 =36 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x5 =30
3 5/1 x7 =42 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
4 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
5 5/1 x8 =48 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
6 5/1 x9 =54 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
7 5/1 x9 =54 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
8 5/1 x10 =60 5/1 x5 =30 5/1 x6 =36
Created: November 9, 2005
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