Getting back into running, six weeks at a time
A free run-walk plan that takes you from nothing to twenty continuous minutes, with different starting points depending on how long you have been off.
Start from how long you’ve been off
Off about a month, start at week three. Off six months, start at week two. Off a year or more, or you have never really run, start at week one and don’t skip it. The weeks are cheap. A calf strain in week two costs you the whole comeback.
If you stopped because something hurt, get it looked at before you start. This plan assumes you are healthy and cleared to run.
The six-week plan
Three sessions a week, every one of them easy enough to hold a conversation. If you can’t talk, you are running your comeback at race pace, which is how comebacks end.
| Week | Each session | Sessions | Rough time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run 1 min, walk 2 min × 8 | 3 | 24 min |
| 2 | Run 2 min, walk 2 min × 6 | 3 | 24 min |
| 3 | Run 3 min, walk 90 sec × 5 | 3 | 23 min |
| 4 | Run 5 min, walk 90 sec × 4 | 3 | 26 min |
| 5 | Run 8 min, walk 2 min × 3 | 3 | 30 min |
| 6 | Run 20 min, no walking | 3 | 20 min |
Your first run back
Shorter and slower than you want. Lungs come back in about two weeks; tendons and the attachments around your shins take six to eight. That gap is why people get hurt in week three, feeling fine on tissue that hasn’t caught up.
Once you are running continuously, add no more than 10% a week and keep a rest day between sessions.
Make week three cost something
Most comebacks die between day 15 and day 21. Motivation is spent, nothing visible has changed yet, and skipping one Tuesday has no consequence at all. That is the week to add one.
On RunMatch you can stake your own money on finishing the six weeks. Miss it and the money goes to a person you nominated, never to us. Free to download, 0% of the pot and 3% on withdrawal. You need an iPhone and an Apple Watch and you must be 18 or over. RunMatch Pro is $9.99 a month and only adds public matches, so a comeback stake costs nothing.
Finished the six weeks? The 5K plan picks up where this stops, and a run streak is the usual next trap.
Questions
How do I get back into running after an injury?
Getting back into running at 40 or older?
How slow should the first run back be?
Put $25 on finishing week six. First mile pays $10.
Stake your own money on the comeback. Miss it and it goes to a friend you picked, not to us.
Download RunMatchFree to download · iPhone + Apple Watch required · 18+ · 0% of the pot, 3% on withdrawal