Couch to 5K Training Plan – 12 Week Beginner Running Schedule

12 Week
Couch to 5k

This Couch to 5K training plan is designed for complete beginners who want to go from walking to running a full 5K over 12 weeks. Each week includes two structured runs that gradually increase your running time, plus an optional third run for extra confidence and endurance at an easy pace.

Week	Run 1	Run 2	Optional Run 3
1	Walk 4 min, jog 30 sec × 5	Walk 3 min, jog 45 sec × 5	—
2	Walk 3 min, jog 1 min × 5	Walk 3 min, jog 1 min × 6	—
3	Walk 2.5 min, jog 1.5 min × 5	Walk 2 min, jog 2 min × 5	—
4	Walk 2 min, jog 2.5 min × 5	Walk 2 min, jog 3 min × 4	—
5	Walk 90 sec, jog 3.5 min × 4	Walk 90 sec, jog 4 min × 4	Jog 10 min easy, walk as needed
6	Walk 1 min, jog 5 min × 3	Walk 1 min, jog 6 min × 3	Jog 12–15 min easy
7	Jog 8 min, walk 90 sec × 3	Jog 10 min, walk 90 sec × 2	Jog 15–18 min easy
8	Jog 12 min, walk 1 min × 2	Jog 15 min continuous	Jog 18–20 min easy
9	Jog 15 min, walk 1 min, jog 10 min	Jog 20 min continuous	Jog 20–22 min easy
10	Jog 20 min, walk 1 min, jog 5 min	Jog 25 min continuous	Jog 20 min relaxed
11	Jog 25 min continuous	Jog 30 min continuous	Jog 20–25 min easy
12	Jog 30–35 min	Jog 35–40 min or 5K	Jog easy or celebratory 5K

You can take longer to do this plan by repeating weeks if it feels like the difficulty is increasing too quickly for you - this isn’t a race… well, not yet anyway.

Couch to 5k

12 WeekCouch to 5k

12 Week
Couch to 5k