How to Start Running From Scratch (When You Can Barely Run for 30 Seconds)

When Aimee Kay first started training, she could run for about thirty seconds before she had to stop, and her first honest thought was, what have I signed up for. A couple of years later she ran the London Marathon. If you are sitting there wondering how to start running from scratch, that gap between thirty seconds and a finish line is the whole point, because every runner started somewhere, and most of them started slower and more out of breath than they would care to admit.

This is a simple guide to getting going when you have never really run before. No pressure, no need to be fit first, and no assumption that you are a runner yet. Watch the full episode of The Event Village with Aimee Kay on YouTube, or listen on Spotify. Youtube

Watch on Youtube

Spotify

Watch/Listen on Spofity

You do not need to be a runner to start

The biggest thing in the way of most beginners is not their fitness, it is the belief that running is for other people. You do not need a certain body, a wardrobe of kit, or any background in sport. The only thing that separates people who run from people who do not is that the runners started. So let go of the idea that you have to get fit before you are allowed to begin. Starting is how you get fit, not the other way around.

Start with run-walk, not running

The most common mistake is to head out and try to run the whole way, which usually ends with you gasping, walking home, and deciding running is not for you. There is a much better way, and it is the one nearly every beginner programme is built on. It is called run-walk, and it does exactly what it sounds like.

You run for a short burst, then walk to recover, then run again. Aimee's thirty seconds is a perfect starting point. Run for thirty seconds, walk for a minute or two, and repeat that a handful of times. Over the following weeks you gradually stretch the running and shrink the walking, until one day the running joins up on its own. That is how you get from thirty seconds to a continuous run without ever hating it.

What your first few weeks can look like

Aim for two or three short sessions a week, with a rest day in between each one. Keep the pace easy, slow enough that you could hold a conversation while you run, because going too hard too soon is what makes it feel miserable. Forget about distance and speed for now, and think only about time on your feet.

Build it slowly. If week one is thirty seconds of running at a time, week two might be forty-five, and so on, with the walks getting shorter as you go. Some sessions will feel worse than others, and some weeks you will go backwards a little. That is completely normal and happens to everyone, so do not read a bad run as a sign you are not cut out for it.

How to keep going when it gets hard

The hardest part of starting is rarely the running itself, it is staying with it long enough for it to feel good. Two things help more than anything.

The first is to stop comparing yourself to people online. In the episode, Aimee talks about how negative comments on social media can put new runners off before they have really begun, and the answer is to surround yourself with people and places that make you feel welcome rather than judged. Run with a friend, find a beginner-friendly group, and tune out anyone who makes you feel like you do not belong.

The second is to remember that every runner, at every level, has bad runs. The ones who keep going are not the ones who never struggle, they are the ones who let a rough session be just a rough session and head out again a few days later.

Give yourself something to aim for

The thing that turns a few scattered runs into a real habit is a goal with a date on it. For most people starting out, that goal is a first 5km. It is far enough to feel like a genuine achievement, and close enough that a couple of months of run-walk will get you there. Putting an actual event in the diary, with other people around you and a finish line to cross, is one of the best ways to stay consistent through the weeks when you would rather stay on the sofa.

Our 5km events are built for exactly this. They are welcoming, open to every pace, and there until the very last person crosses the line, which is the opposite of the intimidating, club-vest picture that puts so many people off. Once you have one under your belt, a first 5km has a habit of turning into a first 10km, and the whole thing grows from there.

From thirty seconds to wherever you want to go

Aimee's story is proof of how far this can run. She went from thirty seconds at a time to the London Marathon, and she did it while raising a family, running a full-time content career and living a busy life. You do not have to be aiming at a marathon, and most people never will. The point is that the first step is the same for all of us, the elite runner and the complete beginner alike. It is thirty seconds. Start there, and see where it takes you.

When you are ready for that first step with other people around you, come and run a beginner-friendly 5km with us.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to run a 5km from scratch?

Most beginners get there in around six to eight weeks of run-walk, going out two or three times a week. It varies from person to person, so treat that as a guide rather than a rule.

Do I have to run the whole way?

No. Run-walk is a completely valid way to both start running and finish a 5km, and plenty of people use it for far longer distances too.

How often should a beginner run?

Two or three times a week with rest days in between is plenty to begin with. The rest days are when your body actually adapts and gets stronger.

Is it ok to walk during a run?

Yes. Walking breaks are a tool, not a failure, and they are exactly how most people build up to running continuously.