Learn to Love Running Program Week 7: Welcome to the Run/Walk

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.

Now that you’re past the midpoint of the program, you’ll see a small change in terminology. Your three cardio sessions are now called run/walk instead of walk/run! The shift is subtle but meaningful: You’re now running more than you walk each time you hit the road, path, or treadmill, and in each interval too. You’re getting closer to the final goal of a 30-minute continuous run!

As you cruise through these middle weeks, you might not always feel jazzed to get those run/walks in. You may worry that means you’re truly not cut out to be a runner after all—don’t all runners jump at the chance to log miles?

But that’s actually a common misconception about the sport. Regular runners—myself included—feel ebbs and flows in motivation too, but we remain committed to the sport on a deeper level. That means, on days when we’re dragging, we find ways to tap into our why to stick with the overall plan.

Week 7 at a Glance:

Welcome to your first run/walk! Today, your running intervals are longer than your walking intervals by a full minute. You’ll still walk first—the name simply describes the activity that makes up the bigger portion of the session (not the order).

The lengthier your running intervals become, the more important it is to keep them truly easy. Remember, your goal is an effort level of 3–4 on a scale of 1–10. If you ever feel like you’re pushing it a little too hard, go back to the talk test: You should be able to maintain a conversation, but not sing a song, mid-stride. Choose your warm-up and let’s get running!

Monday: Run/Walk Intervals

• 5-minute warm-up
• Walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes (repeat 4 times)
• 5-to-10-minute cooldown
• Total time: 30–35 minutes

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Enjoy a full rest day or move through another one of our active recovery routines. Remember, there are four to choose from. At this point, if you haven’t tried them all yet, we encourage you to sample a new one! Take note of which moves feel the best for your body and keep them on hand anytime it needs a little extra TLC. Special callout: If your upper body’s feeling tight after your runs (which can happen if you round your shoulders or hunch them up to your ears), you may particularly enjoy Routine 3—the thoracic rotation stretch will feel extra amazing.

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Today, you’ll return to the second phase of the strength training routine designed just for runners. Now that you’ve had a couple of weeks to practice the moves, it’s a great time to see if you can pick up a slightly heavier weight for one or more exercises.

Remember, your goal is to finish with 1 to 3 reps in the tank. If you get to the end of 8 reps and think, I could’ve done 4 more—or if you don’t quite need the full two minutes of rest between sets—it’s a good sign you could handle a slightly heavier load. Your goal isn’t to lift to failure, but you do want to continually challenge your body to get stronger!

Wednesday: Strength Training Workout

What you need: A pair of dumbbells, a bench or step, and a mat for comfort.

Directions:

• Do 8 reps of your first exercise. (For single-sided moves, do 8 reps on both sides; for moves by time, follow the time allotted in the description.) Rest 2–3 minutes. Repeat for 3 times total.
• Continue on to your next exercise, and repeat until you’ve completed the first 6 moves.
• Do 10–20 reps of the lateral pogo hops. Rest 2–3 minutes. Repeat for 3–4 times total.

Exercises:

• Kickstand Deadlift
• Reverse Lunge
• Half-Kneeling Overhead Press
• Bent-Over Row
• Front-Foot Elevated Single-Leg Calf Raise
• Short Lever Copenhagen Plank
• Lateral Pogo Hops

Kickstand Deadlift

Katie Thompson