Couch to 5K Plan

Who is this plan for?

If you have never run before or want to return after a break, this plan uses walk-run intervals to build endurance safely. Each week adds small, manageable increases in running time.

8-week schedule

• Week 1: 60 sec run / 90 sec walk, repeated 8 times
• Week 2: 90 sec run / 2 min walk, repeated 6 times
• Week 3: 3 min run / 90 sec walk / 5 min run / 2.5 min walk, repeated
• Week 4: 5 min run / 3 min walk, repeated 3 times
• Week 5: 8 min run / 5 min walk / 8 min run
• Week 6: 10 min run / 3 min walk / 10 min run
• Week 7: 25 minutes continuous run
• Week 8: 5K continuous run — race day!

Recovery and nutrition

Run 3 days a week with rest or walking in between. Sleep 7-8 hours and eat a protein-rich meal within 2 hours of training. Use Trakon to log each session and watch your pace improve.