Learn to Love Running Program Week 2: Time to Run!

The week of workouts below is for SELF’s Learn to Love Running Program, our brand-new, beginner-friendly plan that will get you running 30 minutes nonstop! Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Great job making it through Week 1! You’re starting to form the foundations of a habit. And this week, you’ll take things up a notch by adding running intervals to your walks.

Everything else stays essentially the same. You’ll crush three cardio workouts (walk/run intervals now!), log one strength workout, take two complete rest days, and tack on one optional active recovery routine, if your body is asking for a little extra movement.

I always recommend starting each week by taking a look back and a look ahead. Check back through your calendar, app, or other way of tracking. Notice what worked for you and what didn’t, schedule-wise. Did you walk in the morning and feel rushed before work? If so—could you consider lunchtime or after-work workouts instead?

Combine this intel with a look at the calendar for the week ahead. Since your workouts will stay approximately the same length every week, you might find it easiest to slot them in on roughly the same days and times throughout the program. But if your schedule isn’t exactly neatly constrained, you might find it better to plan week by week.

As you move through the program, it might take some trial and error to figure out what’s optimal, timing-wise. It’s all part of finding the running groove that works for you.

Week 2 at a Glance:

Week 2 starts off with a bang: Your first running intervals! Remember to keep the pace comfortably challenging—no more than 3–4 on a scale of 1–10, or an effort level where you could talk, but not sing. Your walk intervals should be at around 2–3.

Because you’re essentially lifting your entire body weight into the air, running is automatically way more intense than walking. So don’t worry if, at first, you find it challenging to keep the effort level truly easy. Just slow down as much as you can, and even if you think you’re plodding as slowly as possible, dial it down just a little bit more. As the weeks go on, you’ll start to lock into your own natural pace.

Remember to warm up beforehand (don’t forget to pick your routine) and cool down after (we’ve got you covered there too).

Monday: Walk/Run Intervals

• 5-minute warm-up
• Walk 4 minutes, run 1 minute (repeat 4 times)
• 5- to 10-minute cooldown
• Total time: 30–35 minutes

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Feel free to take today completely off—remember, rest is a critical part of the equation! But if you’re feeling the itch to move, you can do some easy cardio like cycling—just make sure to keep the resistance low enough so your legs aren’t slogging through.

You can also try one of our expertly-created active recovery routines that we created just for this program too. You’ve got four options here—along with full directions and GIF demos. Each of those routines will provide a solid dose of gentle movement for all your muscles. If you’re planning on catching up on some TV today but still want to move your body a little, might we recommend Active Recovery 1? You can do one of the stretches right from your couch!

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For your second strength training day, you’ll do the same routine as last week. This is intentional: We have you repeating strength work for four weeks to give you a chance to master the moves and potentially pick up heavier weights before moving on to the next, more difficult series of exercises.