Running has a reputation for being hard, and the first week can be. But a gradual plan that mixes walking and running makes five kilometres achievable for almost anyone in about nine weeks.

The walk-run method

Start with intervals: one minute of easy running followed by ninety seconds of walking, repeated eight times. Each week, run a little longer and walk a little less.

Golden rules

  • Run slowly enough to hold a conversation.
  • Take a rest day between sessions.
  • Repeat a week if it felt too hard.
  • Invest in comfortable shoes before anything else.

Most beginners who give up do so because they go too fast. Slow is not lazy; slow is how you build a habit that lasts.

The first run is the hardest. The second is when it starts to feel like yours.