Learn to Love Running Program Week 6: You’ve Hit the Halfway Point!

That said, there are a few simple tips for running form to keep in mind that can help you make the most of your natural gait. Acquaint yourself with them today, so when you hit the pavement tomorrow, you can put them to action.

• Think about running softly, making less noise when your foot hits the ground
• Swing your arms straight forward and back, rather than crossing them over the middle of your torso
• Look up—not down at your feet—and keep your shoulders relaxed

As you move through your day, go through a few of these form touchpoints. Keeping your head up and your shoulders relaxed while you’re walking down the block or the aisle at the grocery store can make it easier to do so while you’re exerting more effort on your next run.

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Today’s workout marks the first time your running intervals are longer than your walking ones—look at you go! That makes it a great time to bring a little more intention to your warm-ups. In Week 3, we focused on the mind-muscle connection when strength training. Today, we suggest you think about your warm-up exercises that way too.

For example, as you do your butt kicks, think about your quads contracting as you raise each leg. Concentrate on opening your hips up when you’re doing cradles or hip circles. This helps make sure you’re truly getting the most out of the movements and fully preparing your body for the 15 minutes of running you’ll do in this session.

Saturday: Long Walk/Run Intervals

• 5-minute warm-up
• Walk 2.5 minutes, run 3 minutes (Repeat 5 times)
• Walk 2.5 minutes
• 5- to 10-minute cooldown
• Total time: 40–45 minutes

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When today’s rest day is in the books, you’re officially 50% through the program and are truly starting to build a running habit. You’ve now run for more than two hours total—and walked nearly five hours too!

That’s a lot of metrics to throw at ya, so for today, we invite you to shut it all off: If you’re looking for an activity, might we recommend one of these delightfully mindless shows to brain-rot to? These tried-and-true TV staples are the perfect blend of stimulation and sedation that will allow you to completely relax. Rest up today, because we’ll be right back at it tomorrow!

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Photography: Katie Thompson. Wardrobe styling: Kathleen Thomas. Hair: Walton Nunez. Makeup: Miranda Richards.

Athletes in order of appearance: Amanda Katz, a certified personal trainer and running coach in New York City, wears: Adanola top and shorts, Nike sneakers, and socks; Ameerah Omar, city captain and mindset coach for Adidas Runners NYC, wears: Alo sports bra and leggings, Nike socks, and Hoka sneakers; Morit Summers, a Brooklyn-based trainer and the owner of body-positive gym, Form Fitness Brooklyn, wears: Lululemon top and leggings, Aerie sports bra, and Nike sneakers; Laura Girard, a NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of The Energy Academy, wears: Alo jacket, sports bra, shorts, and sneakers, and Comme si socks.

Main image: Summers wears Lululemon top and leggings, Aerie sports bra, and Nike sneakers; Omar wears Alo top, leggings, and sports bra, Nike socks, and Hoka sneakers; Girard wears own top, Alo leggings and sneakers, and Comme si socks; and Katz wears Alo top, Janji shorts, Nike socks and running shoes.