Learn to Love Running Program Week 5: Stepping Back to Move Forward

This plyometric exercise helps build balance, power, and explosiveness.

(back to top)

It’s your second walk/run of the week, and you’ll once again be running 90 seconds, walking 3.5 minutes. A cutback week is a great time to change up little things about your workout, if you haven’t already.

If you’ve been walking/running your same neighborhood loop, for example, see if you can find a new route—or at least reverse your direction. Switch up the treadmill you’re using at the gym. If you’ve been a devotee to one of our warm-ups, show the other some love! Sometimes, even a small shift can add some new energy to your routine.

Thursday: Walk/Run Intervals

• 5-minute warm-up
• Walk 3.5 minutes, run 90 seconds (repeat 4 times)
• 5- to 10-minute cooldown
• Total time: 30–35 minutes

(back to top)

It’s the rest day before your longer walk/run! If you have a few minutes, take the time to do a body scan—a visualization where you focus on different parts of your body, moving from your toes to your head. Get full instructions here.

This mindfulness exercise calms your mind and offers a chance to check in on how you’re feeling. If you notice spots that feel stiff or tight, give them a little extra TLC with a foam roller or a mobility movement from the active recovery routines. Tomorrow we’ll take this brain exercise on the move for even more insights.

(back to top)

It’s time for your longest effort this week! As you move through the workout, try the body scan exercise again, mentally checking in on each body part. Move from your toes through your legs, midsection, arms, shoulders, and head.

Notice how your feet roll through each stride, observe your calves tighten and release, and feel your glutes power you forward. Take in the feeling of your arms swinging and your breath moving through you. As you do, aim for a sense of gratitude for what your body can do—it’s already taken you through five weeks here!

Saturday: Long Walk/Run Intervals

• 5-minute warm-up
• Walk 3.5 minutes, run 2 minutes (repeat 5 times)
• Walk 2.5 minutes
• 5- to 10-minute cooldown
• Total time: 40–45 minutes

(back to top)

We hope you enjoyed this cutback week! Time to rest and absorb all the effort you put in and prepare for next week—when we’ll begin adding on again.

If you have a few quiet moments, do one more body scan today. Notice if anything feels different after your longer workout. And once again, aim for gratitude—this time, for your body responding to the training you’re doing so you can keep moving forward on this journey. There’s actually tons of research around the physical and mental benefits of tapping into this, but we know it can be tricky to tap into when everything feels tough—so here are some tips on how to cultivate gratitude.

(back to top)

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

Athletes in order of appearance: 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; Amanda Katz, a certified personal trainer and running coach in New York City, wears: Adanola top and shorts, Nike sneakers, and socks; 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; Ameerah Omar, city captain and mindset coach for Adidas Runners NYC, wears: Alo sports bra and leggings, Nike socks, and Hoka sneakers.