Running
Maybe you’ve just signed up for your first ever race or set your sights on beating your personal best marathon time. Whatever your aim, we have a training programme to suit your ability and goal.
Before starting any programme, make sure you have a look through the plan. If it has different types of run, familiarise yourself with the techniques involved.
And no matter what level you are, don’t forget the importance of preparation before training sessions and recovery afterwards. There are several things you can do to reduce the risk of injury, and building your strength with some simple conditioning exercises can really help. Yoga, stretching and foam rolling all help with flexibility and injury prevention, so feel free to add these in as and when you can. To find out more, read our information on how to avoid running injuries.
Our running programmes
10km
Take on a 10k with one of our plans. We've got training plans to suit all abilities
Half marathon
Our 12 week half marathon training plans will get you ready for the start line whether you're a beginner or advanced runner
Marathon
Running a marathon is a great achievement. Start your journey with one of our training plans
10 miles
10 miles is a great stepping stone from 10k to half marathon. If you're ready to make the jump, we've got a plan for you
5km
If you've got a 5k run on the horizon, we’ve got a choice of three eight-week training plans to meet your needs
The programmes are built to work around your life, so you don’t have to do everything exactly as set out; you can switch days around to suit your schedule. Getting enough rest is probably the most important way to keep fit and healthy and ensure you’re as ready as you can be on race day.
You should make sure whenever you do your long run that it’s followed by a rest day. And listen to your body. If you’re exhausted and other parts of your life are suffering, ease up on the running, get a couple of early nights and begin again when you’re feeling refreshed and motivated.
The programmes will take you towards, but not necessarily up to, your full event distance. The idea is that your fitness and ability progress steadily so that you’re ready to complete the full distance by race day. The atmosphere and cheering crowds on the day will help to push you on for that extra mile or so.
How to choose
Beginner programmes
The ‘walk to run’ and 5km beginner programmes will suit you if you have little or no running experience but are generally fit and in good health.
The 10km and above distance programmes are ideal if you want to run a longer event and you’re in the habit of running at least twice a week. They will suit you if you could complete a 5km run in 30 to 40 minutes, with a mix of walking and running.
Intermediate programmes
You don’t need to have run the full distance before you follow an intermediate programme. However, we recommend that you’ve been running regularly (two to three times a week) for at least 10 weeks. You regularly run 5km in less than 30 minutes and have also completed 10km a couple of times in around an hour. Bear in mind that these programmes involve training on at least four days a week with some faster paced running.
A guide to starting running
Running is a great form of exercise. It's free and comes with many health benefits.
If you haven't been active for a while or you're new to running, you may want to take it easy at first.
Charlie Watson, from blog Runner Beans, gives us all her tips for how to start running and keep running!
Articles from our experts
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