Spring is here, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to start (or restart) your running journey. The warmer weather and longer days are incredibly motivating, but before you lace up your shoes and sprint out the door, there’s one crucial rule to remember: take it slow. Many new and returning runners make the mistake of pushing themselves too hard, too soon. While enthusiasm is great, doing too much too quickly can lead to burnout, frustration, and worst of all—injury. By easing into your running routine gradually, you’ll build endurance, strength, and bone density while minimizing your risk of injury.
Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race
1. Injury Prevention
Running is a high-impact activity, and your muscles, tendons, and joints need time to adapt to the demands of the sport. Overuse injuries like shin splints, stress fractures, and tendonitis are common among those who ramp up their mileage too fast. A gradual approach allows your body to strengthen and recover properly, reducing the risk of sidelining setbacks.
2. Consistent Progress
A slow, steady approach ensures that you’re building a sustainable habit rather than burning out after a few weeks. Consistency is key in running, and progressing at a manageable pace helps maintain motivation and long-term success. Running should feel rewarding, not like a punishment.
3. Better Endurance and Strength
When you start running too fast or for too long, your body compensates with improper form and excessive fatigue, which can lead to injuries and setbacks. Gradually increasing intensity allows you to focus on proper technique, breathing, and muscle engagement. This not only makes running more enjoyable but also improves overall performance.
Today we’re going to share with you a 12 week program to take you from 0 to 20 minutes of continuous jogging. The program will never take more than 30 minutes in a given day, not including the time it takes for a good stretch afterwards, which is always a good idea. This should get you a great foundation for that 5K you’ve been considering. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
It is highly recommended that you do not begin this program if you are unable to walk at a brisk pace for 20 minutes straight, daily, without issue. If you can’t, I suggest you start with short daily walks, building up to 20 steady minutes at a consistent pace.
Before we get into how long / how often to run, let’s take a moment to talk about the basics of running form. Proper form is key to running efficiently, preventing injuries, and making your runs feel easier. Here’s a breakdown of good running form for distance running:
1. Head & Posture
✅ Keep your head up – Look ahead (about 10-20 feet in front of you) rather than down at your feet.
✅ Relax your shoulders – Keep them down and back, avoiding tension. Tight shoulders can lead to fatigue.
✅ Maintain an upright posture – Engage your core and avoid slouching. Imagine a string pulling you upward from the top of your head.
2. Arm Position & Movement
✅ Keep arms at about a 90-degree angle – Elbows should be bent comfortably, with hands relaxed.
✅ Swing arms naturally – Keep your movement controlled and avoid crossing your arms in front of your body.
✅ Relax your hands – Pretend you’re holding something small that you don’t want to break!
3. Stride & Foot Strike
✅ Aim for a midfoot strike – Landing too far forward on your toes or too far back on your heels can cause inefficiency and injury.
✅ Keep your strides short and quick – Overstriding (landing with your foot too far ahead of your body) increases impact and slows you down.
✅ Land softly – Your foot should land beneath your center of mass to reduce impact on joints.
4. Breathing & Rhythm
✅ Breathe deeply and evenly – Use diaphragmatic (belly) breathing rather than shallow chest breathing.
✅ Find a breathing pattern – Many runners use a 3:2 pattern (inhale for three steps, exhale for two) to stay relaxed and avoid side stitches.
5. Cadence & Efficiency
✅ Keep a steady cadence – Faster, shorter steps help maintain efficiency and reduce stress on your joints.
✅ Use a slight forward lean – Lean slightly from the ankles (not the waist), allowing gravity to help propel you forward.
Okay! It’s time to talk about your new run program.
This will be a 12 week build up. – We’re going to get you jogging 3x per week, with at least 1 day of rest between runs. Walking on rest days is highly encouraged to help optimize recovery. You’ll do the same run all three times in a week, and each week we’ll increase the time and distance run.
Week 1 – Total time 8 min – Total Run time 4 min.
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Week 2 – Total time 10 min – Total Run time 5 min.
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Walk 30 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 30 seconds
Week 3 – Total time 14 min – Total Run time 7 min.
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 1.5 Minutes
Walk 1.5 Minutes : Jog 1.5 Minutes
Walk 1.5 Minutes : Jog 60 seconds
Walk 60 seconds : Jog 60 seconds
Week 4 – Total time 18 min – Total Run time 9 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 1 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 1.5 Minutes
Walk 1.5 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 1.5 Minutes
Walk 1.5 Minutes : Jog 1 Minutes
Week 5 – Total time 22 min – Total Run time 12 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 1 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 3 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 3 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 1 Minutes
Week 6 – Total time 24 min – Total Run time 16 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 4 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 4 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Week 7 – Total time 30 min – Total Run time 20 min. -Longest week-
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 3 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Week 8 – Total time 27 min – Total Run time 20 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 3 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 7 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Week 9 – Total time 26 min – Total Run time 20 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 3 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 8 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 7 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 2 Minutes
Week 10 – Total time 24 min – Total Run time 20 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 10 Minutes
Walk 2 Minutes : Jog 5 Minutes
Week 11 – Total time 22 min – Total Run time 20 min.
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 10 Minutes
Walk 1 Minutes : Jog 10 Minutes
Week 12 – Run 20 min!!! You did it!
If you struggle with a given week, either to get all your runs in, or to reach your goal… Simply repeat that week before moving forward. Should you feel pain developing in your feet or joints, back off and let them recover before continuing. If you miss 1 week, go back an extra week. For example, if you finish week 7 but then miss week 8 because of illness, repeat week 6 then continue on. Go back one extra week for every week missed.
Go easy. Speed comes later. You’ve got this!
