How to Build a Running Habit (for Beginners)

Starting a running habit from scratch can feel intimidating, especially if every attempt so far has ended with frustration or injury.

​​This article is for you if:

– Running feels intimidating or “not for people like me.”

– You get out of breath quickly and assume that means you “can’t run.”

– You want a simple, no-pressure way to start, not a full training plan.

If you're a beginner and you stick with this for 6–8 weeks, running will start to feel more familiar, less scary, and a lot more doable.

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Enjoyment Above All

If I could distill all of my tips for beginners into one thought, it would be this:​

You should enjoy the act of running on most of your runs. 

The number one goal is to build the habit—and to do that, you can't dread it. But even when it comes to training and improving your fitness, if you don’t enjoy it—particularly after the first few weeks—then you may be doing too much or going too hard.

It shouldn’t hurt. Most of the time, it shouldn’t feel like you're pushing your limits. If it feels tough, you’re probably going too fast! A general gauge is the “talk test”: you should be able to talk in full sentences while you’re running. If your breathing gets in the way, slow down or walk until you can. Harder is not more effective training. Don't let the toxic athleticism out there fool you.​​

But there's a little more to it than that, so let's dig in!

If you have any history of heart or lung issues, chest pain, dizziness, or other medical concerns, check in with your doctor before you start. And if you ever feel a new, sharp pain, chest tightness, or get really lightheaded, stop and get things checked out.

Starting from Scratch

Always Start With Walking

If you are beginning a running routine from scratch (or even after significant time off), start with walking!

If you can walk at an “in a hurry” pace—a brisk walk where you feel like you’re moving with purpose, but can still talk—for 20 minutes or more, do that every other day to start (that’s 3–4 days per week).

Once that feels easy, gradually increase how often you walk until you’re getting out there on most days of the week (5–6 days). At that point, you’re ready to start sprinkling in some very short running intervals.

Run/Walk Intervals

Alternating running and walking is a phenomenal tool for runners. There is nothing inherently "better" about continuous running. I promise. Do this, and you'll almost certainly see more progress!

Go out for your 20-minute session, but after a 5-minute walking warmup, do one minute of running, then four minutes of walking. Repeat until you get to 20 minutes. You end up alternating 1 min run and 4 min walk for 15min after that warmup.

​It’s key not to try to run fast, even though it’s for a short period. Just try to move efficiently in a running motion.

Example Intervals

These intervals are usually written as 1 min run / 4 min walk, or more commonly 4/1 or 4:1 ratio.

Note that the exact intervals don't matter. As you get consistent, you will develop the ability to feel when you should run and walk. 

But for now, here's my recommended progression of walk/run intervals:

1. 30 sec run / 4:30 walk

2. 1 min run / 4 min walk

3. 2 min run / 3 min walk

4. 3 min run / 2 min walk

5. 4 min run / 1 min walk

6. 4:30 run / 30 sec walk

There are a few important notes here:

If you are starting with some base fitness, you might start at level 2 or 3. No matter how your lungs feel, stick with levels 1-3 for at least a couple weeks, to prepare your musculoskeletal system.

But this is key: don't feel like you need to stick to one ratio for an entire run—it’s helpful to switch it up throughout as you feel better or worse, go uphill or downhill, etc.

How to Progress

As you go through the process, let your body tell you when it's time to go to the next ratio.

It's best to bump 1-2 runs in a week to a higher level first, and then bump the others the following week—don't increase every session.

Stay at each level for at least a week or two. There’s no prize for getting through the levels quickly! If you feel like your effort is in the right range, you might stay with a specific ratio of run/walk intervals for months or longer, and there's nothing wrong with that.

It’s also great to move back down the progression if you need to. If a new ratio feels too hard, drop back to the previous one for a run, or even a week or two. That’s not failure—that’s adaptive training.

Always focus on building consistency first. It’s better to do shorter runs more frequently than it is to do one or two long efforts you need to recover from. Once you are consistently running five days per week, you can gradually bump up one or two of your runs by about 5 min at a time.

If a specific spot (like a knee or shin) starts to feel irritated, don’t push through it. Take a couple of easier days (more walking, less running), and see if it settles down. Pain is a signal to adjust, not a test to pass. However, total rest isn't usually the answer—instead decrease the load, but maintain consistent movement! Pro-tip, don't ice it!

Once you are run/walking for about 40 min on most days of the week, you can start to think about progressing your run/walk intervals to the next level.

When you reach that 40 minute mark, don’t try to make every day harder at once. Instead, bump 2–3 days a week up to the next run/walk level, while keeping the others the same. For example, you might bump Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday up a level, and keep Wednesday and Sunday where they are, or vice-versa.

How to Know When You're Ready for More

When finishing a week of runs is never in doubt—you’re enjoying things and feeling generally good—that’s the time to pick it up a notch. At this stage, you should not feel like you’re constantly pushing your limits. Not yet. There’ll be time for that in the future!​

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Continuous Running

Try not to get too caught up in the idea of continuous running—it’s not a benchmark to worry about. There's no additional benefit from continuous running. The important thing is that you’re moving at the right effort level for the right amount of time, gently teaching your body to get fitter and more comfortable with running. ​If continuous running makes it less enjoyable or more stressful, stick with run/walk longer. There is zero downside.

So when should you try continuous running? When your body no longer even wants to take the walk interval—when you feel like you’re only walking because you “should.” That’s when you try it. And guess what? There’s no magic—if it gets too hard, throw in a walk interval or two! Start going by feel—it will change your life.

Next Steps

At this point, once you’re comfortable run/walking your way through about five days a week, you get to decide what comes next. The sky’s the limit—and there are a lot of different directions you can take your running.

Check in with yourself: what do you really want to do?

– Do you like having a goal to work toward (like a race or distance goal), or does that stress you out?

– Are you more excited by feeling healthier, seeing numbers improve, or just moving your body?

– Do you feel more drawn to roads or trails?

Here are some potential paths you could take. For some people, this is also the point where bringing in a coach starts to sound helpful—if that’s you, you’re always welcome to reach out.

Path 1: Maintain a Routine for General Health

If you don’t care about races or chasing specific times and distances, and just want to feel good and stay active, this is a totally valid place to land.

30–45 min of easy run/walk, 5–6 days per week, can have huge mental and physical health benefits.

You don’t need to chase bigger weeks or faster paces. Just keep the effort easy and conversational most of the time.

Suggestions to spice it up:

– Play with routes and scenery

– Practice varying your running effort and compensate by walking longer (just one day per week)

– Optionally, have one longer adventure every week or two, up to about 60 min.

Option 2: Add Complementary Work (Strength, Other Cardio)

If you’re happy with your current running and are more interested in general health and fitness, another option is to make your body more durable, flexible and versatile. A bit of simple strength and complementary movement can go a long way toward making running and life feel easier and smoother over time.

You still keep your 30–45 min easy run/walk, 5–6 days per week as the foundation. The idea is to layer small things on top, not replace what’s working.

Suggestions for complementary work:

– Add 1–2 short strength sessions per week (15–25 min).

Think basic patterns: squats or sit-to-stands, lunges or step-ups, calf raises, simple core work (planks, dead bugs, side planks). Bodyweight or light weights are fine.

– Include some lower-leg and hip focus as well as stability.

Calf raises, single-leg balance, and light hip-strength work (glute bridges, clamshells, band walks) help your tendons and joints tolerate running better. Single leg work, especially working toward added stability demands like doing things on a foam pad or towel, is extremely helpful.

– Optionally, swap one run/walk day for non-impact cardio.

A bike, elliptical, rower, or brisk hike can give you a similar aerobic effect with less impact, especially if anything is feeling cranky. However, overdoing low-impact activities can make you more injury-prone as a runner, so don't get carried away!

None of this has to be perfect or carefully designed. The goal is simply to become a bit stronger and more resilient, so that the routine you already have feels easier.

Option 3: Aim Toward a 5K

If having a concrete goal sounds appealing, a 5K is a great next step. That's 3.1 miles, and you're probably covering nearly that distance on your normal run days. And yes: a 5K done with run/walk is still a 5K. There’s no bonus credit for suffering through every step continuously.

The goal here for your first one isn’t to smash a time; it’s to be able to comfortably cover the distance at the same easy, conversational effort you’ve been practicing.

Suggestions for building toward a 5K:

– Keep 3–4 days per week as “business as usual” easy run/walk—same effort, same rough duration.

– Choose one day as a “distance day,” and extend it very gradually: add ~5 min every week or two until you’re in the 45–50 min range.

– Optionally, on one day per week, experiment with slightly longer or slightly faster run intervals (for example, nudging one or two blocks from 2 min to 3–4 min) while keeping the beginning and end of the run at an easy effort.

After you've done your first 5k, don't immediately jump up another distance. This is when you can explore getting faster, such as trying to run more continuously, or with much longer run intervals than normal. Even if your goal is eventually to cover more distance, working on speed first is a more effective way of going about it.

Option 4: Short Trail Race / Trail Exploring

If you’re more excited by woods, hills, and dirt than by pavement and people, leaning into trails can be a fun next step! On trails, adventure is the name of the game. Walking the hills isn't just normal, it’s what smart trail runners do.

For a first short trail race (or just trail exploring), the goal is exactly the same as before: easy, conversational effort, and finishing feeling like you could have done a bit more.

Suggestions for shifting toward trails:

– Swap 1–2 runs per week onto easy local trails or dirt paths, and keep them at your usual 30–45 min to start.

– Think in time, not distance: a “40-minute trail day with plenty of hiking” is great, even if the mileage is lower than on the road.

– When you’re comfortable, you can extend one “trail adventure” every week or two up toward ~60 min at an easy effort—hiking any climbs and focusing on footing, not speed.

If you decide to sign up for a short trail race, treat it as a supported adventure, not a test: stay relaxed, and let the terrain dictate your running vs. hiking.

Option 5: When (and Whether) to Think About Coaching or a Plan

You absolutely don’t need a coach or a formal training plan to be “a real runner.” If you’re happy, consistent, and generally healthy doing what you’re doing, you’re already winning. Coaching and structured plans are tools, not requirements.

That said, there are some situations where a bit more structure—or another brain in the mix—can be really helpful.

You might consider a plan or a coach if:

• You have a goal that excites you (a race, a time, a longer distance), and you’re not sure how to get there from where you are.

• You want to get faster, run longer, or both! (These really are complementary—if you do it right).

• You constantly second-guess what you’re doing, or bounce between conflicting advice, and it’s more stressful than helpful.

• You’ve started bumping into the same problems (niggles, burnout, plateaus) every time you try to do more.

• You like the idea of learning and being guided, not just guessing and hoping.

Even then, you still have options along a spectrum:

• A loose, self-directed plan you sketch out using principles like the ones in this article.

• A more formal training plan (ideally one that’s flexible)

• Coaching, where the plan actually adapts around your life, your body, and your feedback.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah… I’d kind of like someone to help me sort this out,” that’s usually your sign. And if that’s you, you’re always welcome to reach out and we can figure out whether working together makes sense—or if you’re better off staying with a simple, self-guided approach for now. Like many coaches, I work with true beginners all the way through elite athletes, so if you want help, I'm certainly happy to do so!

How to Choose, and How to Change Your Mind

You don’t have to overthink which path is “right.” You’re not signing a multi-year contract—you’re just picking what sounds most interesting for the next couple of months.

A simple way to choose:

• If you mostly want to feel good and stay active: Path 1 (maintain for general health) is more than enough.

• If you want to feel more solid and durable: Add complementary work (Path 2).

• If “more time out there” sounds appealing: Build endurance (Path 3).

• If a goal genuinely excites you: Aim for a 5K or a short trail race.

Whichever you pick, give it a fair shot—say, 4-6 weeks—before you judge it. During that time, pay attention to a few things:

• Do you mostly look forward to your runs?

• Are you able to string together solid weeks, or are you constantly wiped out or hurting?

• Does this path fit your actual life, not the imaginary “ideal” version of it?

If the answer starts to shift toward “this isn’t working,” that’s not failure—that’s information. You’re allowed to:

• Move between phases as life gets chaotic and smooths out again.

• Decide you don’t care about a 5K after all and just want trail adventures.

• Drop back a level in your run/walk, or cut a day, if your body asks for it.

The only real red flag is staying stuck in a training rut that makes you hate running or keeps breaking you. Everything else—changing your goals, switching paths, backing off for a bit—is just part of learning what works for you.

The only “wrong” next step is the one that makes you dread putting your shoes on. If what you’re doing keeps you moving, mostly enjoying it, and showing up week after week, you’re already doing this right.