How to start running from scratch (without getting hurt or quitting)

First week: alternate running and walking

Start with 5 minutes of walking, then 6 blocks of 1 minute running very slowly and 2 minutes walking, and finish with 5 minutes of walking. That's 28 minutes. Do it three times a week on alternate days. If it feels too easy, great: that's how the first week should feel.

Running "very slowly" means being able to speak full sentences. For most beginners that's a pace between 7:30 and 9:00 per kilometer — just a bit faster than a brisk walk. There's no such thing as too slow at the start; there's only too fast.

Progression over the first 8 weeks

Every week or two, increase the running time and reduce the walking: 2 minutes to 1, then 4 to 1, then 10 continuous minutes, then 20. By week eight, most people can run 30 minutes without stopping — the equivalent of 4 or 5 km. If a week gets hard, repeat it. The plan adjusts to you, not the other way around.

Don't increase total volume (minutes of running per week) by more than 10% from one week to the next, and do a lighter week every three or four. That rhythm seems conservative and that's exactly why it works: tendons and bones take months to adapt, and they're what gets hurt when haste wins.

What you need (and what you don't)

You need: cushioned running shoes in your size (half a size bigger than your everyday shoes), seamless socks and clothes that don't overheat. You don't need: a GPS watch, a heart-rate monitor, gels, supplements. All of that can come later, if you want. A phone in your pocket already records distance and time.

Normal pain and pain that isn't

Muscle stiffness in the two days after a run is normal and goes away with the warm-up. Localized pain at a point on a bone, pain that gets worse over the run or pain that changes your stride aren't normal: stop for a few days and, if it persists, seek professional assessment. Before starting any exercise program, a medical check-up is recommended — especially if you have a history of heart or joint problems or are overweight.

How not to quit

Put the runs in your calendar as appointments. Run on the same days and times for a month — habit is built by repetition, not motivation. Log every run: watching the streak grow is one of the strongest motivators there is. And don't compare your beginning with someone else's middle.

How PaceOn helps

Choose "start running" as your goal and the plan is born with the run/walk alternation on the days you have available. Log each run in four taps — when, how far, how long, how it felt — and the plan follows your real rhythm: repeats the week if you needed it, moves on when you're ready.