Learn to Love Running Program Week 8: One Giant Step Forward

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.

You’re at Week 8, and it’s a big one. Nearly every week until now, you’ve gradually increased your running intervals, about 30 seconds to a minute at a time. This rate of progress keeps you moving forward without extra stress on your body so you stay injury-free as you build up toward the goal of 30 minutes non-stop.

But every so often—this week and in Week 11, as well as the grand finale in Week 12, of course—you’ll step significantly outside your comfort zone. Your total running minutes won’t increase that much, but you’ll do one or more blocks of continuous running that are far longer than you’ve done before.

Here’s why: Physiologically, it’s completely possible to build up to 30 minutes of running by gradually decreasing your walking intervals until, eventually, they disappear. But psychologically, it’s tougher to make huge jumps from running, say, five minutes at a time to running 30.

And we want you to feel good tackling your goal! So we’ve built in longer efforts along the way to give you confidence that many short runs do, in fact, add up to the endurance you need to tackle a big one. Taking such a big leap can still feel intimidating at first, but working on mental tools like mantras can give you a boost. Also, know that once you get through this more challenging week, you have another cut down week on the other side.

Week 8 at a Glance:

Your first run/walk of the week alternates 1.5 minutes of walking with 3.5 minutes of running. It’s just a slight tweak from the 2 minutes/3 minutes you did last week, but remember, these gradual changes are key to building your endurance.

To cap off this session, try a brief grounding exercise. After you finish—if you’re doing it outdoors—kick off your shoes and spend a minute standing on grass, dirt, or even cement if that’s all you have handy. If you’re on a treadmill, feel free to wait until you step outside.

As you do this, take a beat to see the bigger picture—you’re a human, standing on the earth, part of a much larger ecosystem of people, plants, and animals growing and evolving around you. This moment of mindfulness can carry over into reducing stress in the rest of your life and prepare you to face future challenges (like, say, your 10-minute running blocks later in the week).

Monday: Run/Walk Intervals

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

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Today’s a rest day with an option for an active recovery routine. In Week 3, we talked about the power of music to fuel your workout—and we’ll tap into that again later this week on your longer effort!

But research also shows that, in the right circumstances, music can calm your stress response. So, if you’re doing one of our mobility routines today, turn on some relaxing tunes as you do. Aim to link your breath and your movements to further chill and center yourself.

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Get ready to lift—a little heavier! Today is your fourth and final time through phase 2 of the strength program. So, if you haven’t moved up in weight yet, now’s a great time to experiment with picking up the next biggest dumbbell.