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Hot Potato

51 runs over 17 weeks (3 runs per week)
Low intensity; 11 weeks until the first 5 minute run

This is an even more gentle introduction to running than None2Run, and much less soul-destroying than NHS Couch to 5K for people who are not coming from any kind of existing exercise background. This is essentially the plan that I found myself doing after failing halfway through Couch to 5K (I hit the Week 5 Wall) and then struggling a bit with None2Run. I found myself really needing an extra 30-odd seconds rest around Week 8 to what was programmed. When I looked at the change in the length of the continuous run sections in None2Run and Couch to 5K I could see that I was hitting problems at about the same phase in each: it was about when the shorter run/walk segments join up to make a suddenly very-much-longer run segment. That might work for some people but I found it tough to go that extra distance!

So I felt that each week brought a jump in the run segments that was too long for my hulking frame to adapt. So I tweaked None2Run for smaller increases in each new week's running segments and made the segue from mostly-walking to mostly-running a little easier. The decrease in rest-walking times is also less harsh. The overall effect is that it adds another 5 weeks to the None2Run plan but I think this will have an overall positive result to my compliance to the schedule!

I am also doing all the None2Run exercises in the 'off days' as I found these really helped:

Weeks 1 to 4: Simple Strength Routine, 2 sets
Weeks 5 to 9: IT Band Routine
Weeks 10 to 17: 7 minute strength workout for beginners

Details on the exercises are availble here:

Strength & Mobility Exercises

Running schedule

The plan stipulates 3 runs a week with at least 1 day of rest in between runs. Each run begins with a 5 minute brisk walk to warm-up before the running phase. After the final run segment there is a 3 minute cool-down walk.

  .  Warm-up walk at brisk pace (30 s)
  #  Running or jogging (30 s)
  -  Walking in between runs at brisk pace (30 s)
  ~  Cool-down, 3 mins brisk at first then slow to normal pace (30 s)

RunID Week Day Warm-Up   Running Phase                       Cool-Down
 01    01   A  ..........#----#----#----#----#----#----#----#~~~~~~
 02    01   B  ..........#----#----#----#----#----#----#----#~~~~~~
 03    01   C  ..........#----#----#----#----#----#----#----#~~~~~~

 04    02   A  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~
 05    02   B  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~
 06    02   C  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~

 07    03   A  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~
 08    03   B  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~
 09    03   C  ..........##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##----##~~~~~~

 10    04   A  ..........###----###----###----###----###----###----###----###~~~~~~
 11    04   B  ..........###----###----###----###----###----###----###----###~~~~~~
 12    04   C  ..........###----###----###----###----###----###----###----###~~~~~~

 13    05   A  ..........###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###~~~~~~
 14    05   B  ..........###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###~~~~~~
 15    05   C  ..........###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###---###~~~~~~

 16    06   A  ..........###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###~~~~~~
 17    06   B  ..........###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###~~~~~~
 18    06   C  ..........###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###--###~~~~~~

 19    07   A  ..........####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###~~~~~~
 20    07   B  ..........####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###~~~~~~
 21    07   C  ..........####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###-####--###~~~~~~

 22    08   A  ..........####-####-####--####-####-####--####-####-####--####~~~~~~
 23    08   B  ..........####-####-####--####-####-####--####-####-####--####~~~~~~
 24    08   C  ..........####-####-####--####-####-####--####-####-####--####~~~~~~

 25    09   A  ..........######--######--######--######--######--#####--#####~~~~~~
 26    09   B  ..........######--######--######--######--######--#####--#####~~~~~~
 27    09   C  ..........######--######--######--######--######--#####--#####~~~~~~

 28    10   A  ..........########---########---########---########---########~~~~~~
 29    10   B  ..........########---########---########---########---########~~~~~~
 30    10   C  ..........########---########---########---########---########~~~~~~

 31    11   A  ..........##########---##########---##########---##########~~~~~~
 32    11   B  ..........##########---##########---##########---##########~~~~~~
 33    11   C  ..........##########---##########---##########---##########~~~~~~

 34    12   A  ..........############--############--############--############~~~~~~
 35    12   B  ..........############--############--############--############~~~~~~
 36    12   C  ..........############--############--############--############~~~~~~

 37    13   A  ..........################--################--################~~~~~~
 38    13   B  ..........################--################--################~~~~~~
 39    13   C  ..........################--################--################~~~~~~

 40    14   A  ..........####################--####################~~~~~~
 41    14   B  ..........####################--####################~~~~~~
 42    14   C  ..........####################--####################~~~~~~

 43    15   A  ..........########################################~~~~~~
 44    15   B  ..........########################################~~~~~~
 45    15   C  ..........########################################~~~~~~

 46    16   A  ..........#############################################~~~~~~
 47    16   B  ..........#############################################~~~~~~
 48    16   C  ..........#############################################~~~~~~

 49    17   A  ..........##################################################~~~~~~
 50    17   B  ..........##################################################~~~~~~
 51    17   C  ..........##################################################~~~~~~

Total time running or walking

The total amount of time spent running increases at a more gentle rate than None2Run and much more gentle than Couch 2 5K.

                                       Total Time Spent Running or Walking
														 
Week |__1__.__2__.__3__.__4__.__5__.__6__.__7__.__8__.__9__.__10_.__11_.__12_.__13_.__14_.__15_.__16_.__17_.
     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
Total|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
time |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
(min)|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
  25-|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     ,#-#-#.
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     ,#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#,     .     |     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     |     .     |     .
    -|     .  @ = Walking    .     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     |     ,#-#-#'     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     |     |     .     .
  20-|     .  # = Running    .     .     .     ,#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#'     .     .     '#-#-#'     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     ,#-#-#'     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     ,@-@-@,     .     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
  15-|     .     |     |     .     ,#-#-#'     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|@-@-@,     |     '@-@-@,#-#-#'     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     |     |     .     :     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     '@-@-@'     ,#-#-#'@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     |     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
  10-|     .     .     |     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     ,#-#-#'     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     |     .     .     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     ,#-#-#'     .     .     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     |     .     .     .     .     .     '@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
   5-|     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     |     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|#-#-#'     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .     .
    -|     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     '@-@-@,     .     .     .
   0-|- - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - -'@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@
     0        5         10        15        20        25        30        35        40        45        50 
                                                   Run Day

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View other run plans:

None2Run (Mark Kennedy)

Couch to 5K (NHS)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

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