How to Start Running: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide

By Elizabeth Millard Medically Reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES

If you want to start running, whether you are already active in other ways or you’re truly in couch-to-5K mode, the biggest question tends to be: Where do you start?

Yes, it can be as simple as lacing up your sneakers and hitting the pavement. But putting some thought into what your goals are, your pacing, what to wear, and how to schedule other activities and workouts can go a long way when it comes to avoiding injuries and making progress.

Here are some top tips from running experts, along with a basic four-week training plan.

On Motivation: First, Think About Your ‘Why’

Running delivers a plethora of health benefits. But there are other ways to reap those rewards. Why do you want to start running? And why are you doing it now?

“One of the biggest parts of sticking to any training plan is knowing why you’re doing it,” says Kourtney Thomas, CSCS, a St. Louis–based Road Runners Club of America (RRCA)–certified running coach and trainer. “Figure out why it matters to you, and what you hope to achieve from it, and that will help you feel connected to the effort in a deeper way.”

Maybe you want that sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a 5K. Maybe you’re noticing that you’re more winded lately while playing with your kids and you want to boost your endurance. Maybe work stress is dragging you down, and the thought of getting outside and getting moving energizes you.

Whatever it is, Thomas suggests you tap into it — writing it down is helpful, too — and keep that in mind as your larger goal.

Set Your Pace and Distance

With distance as well as pace, that will depend on your health, athletic history, and current fitness level, according to Amy Morris, an RRCA-certified running coach and head of personal training at CrossTown Fitness in Chicago.

How to Know What Pace Is Right

“When beginning, it’s best to start slow and gradually increase your pace over time,” Morris says. “If you gun it out of the gate, your body will begin to accumulate lactic acid and your lungs won’t be able to keep up with how fast you’re running, so you’ll feel breathless. As a result, you’ll drastically slow down.”

You’ll also fatigue much faster if you start too fast, and that can be frustrating.

One technique that can help beginner runners is run-walk intervals. To do it, pick an easy pace for a run — easy is being able to talk as you’re running — for a certain amount of time (start with a minute), and then walk for that same amount of time. Then repeat the pattern. That way, your body can get used to the motion of running without tiring as quickly. As the running portions of the interval get easier, increase the minute of running to two minutes. When that feels easier, add another minute to the run portion of the interval, and so on until you’re able to take out the walking all together.

How Long to Run When You Start

When determining distance, Morris says that will depend on your health, athletic history, and current fitness level. For some, a walk-run combo of a half-mile will be plenty as a start. But if you have a higher level of fitness — maybe you’ve been doing another activity like biking or yoga, for example — you may want to start with a mile or longer.

The American Council of Exercise (ACE) suggests starting with 20- to 25-minute workouts, selecting a distance you’re comfortable with the expectation that you’ll increase very gradually.

ACE recommends increasing the distance and duration of your workouts no more than 10 percent to 15 percent from one week to the next, and running on alternating days (rather than consecutive ones).

No matter what you’ve set as your beginning distance, it’s important to take training one day at a time, Morris says.

“Progress is not always linear,” she notes. “Sometimes there will be spikes, lows, and plateaus. Roll with it. Follow your plan and trust the training.”

Get the Right Gear

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to run. But picking the right apparel, shoes, and accessories can make your strides more comfortable — and depending on the conditions, safer.

Apparel

What you wear will largely depend on the weather, both at the start of your run and what it’s expected to be when you finish, according to Morris. But remember, you’ll build body heat as you move, so you’ll likely want to dress in more lightweight clothing than you would wear if you were just going outside for a walk or other more leisurely activity. As a rule of thumb, she suggests dressing as if the temperature outside is 10 degrees warmer than it actually is.

If you tend to be on the warmer side, she suggests dressing like it’s 15 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. If you get chilly easily, go in the other direction and dress as if it’s 5 degrees warmer, she says.

“Layers are always great,” she adds. But do opt for moisture-wicking fabrics (like merino wool, bamboo, and some polyesters designed for this), she says. “In the winter, jackets with zippers help regulate body temperature like a thermostat; up if you’re cool and down if you’re warm.”

And remember, you don’t necessarily need specialized gear to get out there and get running. If you’re getting started and the temperature is moderate, it’s fine to opt for a T-shirt and sweatpants combo, Morris adds.

Running Shoes

The equipment that will take you a long way (literally) when you’re running are a good pair of running shoes. Ideally, it’s best to have your stride checked at a running gear store, says Thomas. They’ll evaluate your running stride and how your foot hits the ground and recommend types of shoes that would work best for you. But not everyone has one within driving distance. If you don’t, or you’re shopping online, Thomas suggests starting with shoes described as “neutral,” which means they have an average amount of arch support (rather than an arch supports that corrects for your feet either rolling inwards or outwards as they strike the ground). And choose the amount of cushioning in a shoe that feels comfortable. After you’ve been running for a while, you’ll get a feel for whether you want more cushioning or less.

Sunscreen and Other Health and Safety Tips

In both warm and cool weather, sunscreen should be a priority. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends applying sunscreen of at least SPF 30 at least 30 minutes before heading out into the sun and reapplying every hour if you’re sweating a lot.

One more gear consideration is safety, Thomas adds. You can put reflective strips on your shoes and clothes if you’re a dawn or dusk runner and wear bright clothing. Also, stay in well-lit areas whenever possible and keep your phone secured in a zipped pocket.

Don’t Skip the Warmup

A good warmup is key for running, says Morris. Not only does it get your muscles prepped for exercise, but it increases oxygen and blood flow throughout the body.

Rather than the static stretches you may have done in gym class — where you got into a stretch and held it without moving — a warmup should involve dynamic flexibility, which means you should be active and focus more on movement than stretching.

A good dynamic warmup can include simple yoga sequences, brisk walking, or moves such as squats, lunges, calf raises, and arm swings. You only need to warm up for about five minutes, says Morris, but if you’re going for a longer run you may want to do a lengthier warm-up session.

The key to any good warmup is to engage the right muscles (in this case, the ones you’ll use while running). You want to prepare them to do the more strenuous work you’re going to ask them to do during your workout, says Nicholas Romanov, PhD, a Miami-based Olympic running coach and developer of the Pose Method, a technique designed to reduce injuries in sports, including running. Muscles contract and relax to work. “So to get them ready for running [when you’ll want them to work to their fullest extent], you want to do drills and exercises that mimic running itself, like light hops on both legs, single leg hops, and so on.”

Follow a Plan

While there’s value to simply lacing up and going for a run, building and following a training plan can help ensure you’ll meet your running goals, says Thomas.

What plan is best depends largely on your level of fitness. For example, if you work out regularly with other activities, you may feel comfortable starting with a higher-intensity training program than if you’re a novice exerciser — in terms of speed, distance, or both.

If you are new to exercise (or coming back to it after a long hiatus), you should take it much slower, says Romanov. You want training to feel almost too easy at the start since that can help you build your running over time in a way that prevents injury.

Here’s a sample four-week training plan for those who are new to exercise and don’t have much prior running experience. You’ll work your way up to running 30 minutes at a time. Don’t forget to warm up before each run (see previous section) and choose a pace that is comfortable (as noted above). Consider jogging the “run” portions as you get started (jogging is simply running at a slower pace) — or alternating between brisk walking and running during those portions.

Focusing on time instead of distance is helpful, says Morris, because it gets you used to the movement of running. As you progress beyond these initial four weeks, you can start to bring in other variables like distance and speed.

Week 1

Day 1 Run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Run 10 minutes, walk 2 minutes, run 5 minutes

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Run 12 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Cross-train

Week 2

Day 1 Run 13 minutes, walk 2 minutes, run 5 minutes

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Run 15 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 5 minutes

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Run 17 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 7 minutes

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Cross-train

Week 3

Day 1 Run 20 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 5 minutes

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Run 25 minutes

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Run 25 minutes

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Cross-train

Week 4

Day 1 Run 28 minutes

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Run 30 minutes

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Run 20 minutes

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Run 30 minutes

As You Start Running, Don’t Forget About Other Types of Movement and Rest Days

Mixing other types of exercise into a training plan is also useful, adds Morris. In the sports world, workouts that aren’t the primary goal of a training program are called “cross-training” workouts. For running, cross-training could look like taking a bike ride, strength-training, swimming, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), or other nonrunning workouts.

Cross-training workouts can be either more intense, the same intensity, or less intense than your running workouts, Morris says. When it comes to cross-training, the most important factor is that you’re working different muscles. Doing the same activity day after day tends to put more stress on specific muscles and joints, which can lead to overuse injuries.

Rest days are important, too. Consider gentle activity geared toward strength, mobility, and range of motion, like yoga or Pilates. Morris says listen to your body on these days and make sure you’re giving muscles that are tired or sore a rest. And remember rest days look different depending on your fitness level.

Over the course of the training plan, it’s crucial to pay attention to your body and tweak the schedule for more rest days if you’re feeling muscle soreness that lasts longer than 24 hours, especially if it’s accompanied by sharp pain like shin splints or joint aches like hip soreness. If you find you have limited mobility into the next day — it’s tougher to get up from sitting, for example — definitely incorporate more recovery time. Note that feeling fatigued several hours after a workout or the next day can be a sign you’re overtraining, according to previous research.

And don’t forget to celebrate your wins, too — even the small ones. Thomas says that having larger goals like a first 5K is great, but don’t forget to appreciate all the milestones along the way. Benchmarks like being able to continuously run for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or completing this plan are accomplishments in and of themselves.