How to Start Running: Building a Sustainable Running Routine for Beginners

When you first start running, having a consistent routine is critical. Just like many New Year’s resolutions, it’s easy to stick to a new habit for a week or two but much harder to maintain it long-term. Therefore, for beginning runners, I care less about distance or speed and more about finding a sustainable regimen.

I like to use milestones of one, three, six, and twelve months when working with new runners. First, let’s establish a monthly routine as soon as you get started. Then we’ll refine it if needed to hit three consistent months of training. From there, we’ll aim for six months, then a full year. I know the fitness gains will come if you stick to the routine.

Here’s what happens when I do my job right, coaching new runners:

• You never sustain an injury that derails your training
• You fall in love with running
• You learn to adjust your training to match your life’s fluctuations
• You gain confidence to take on challenges you once thought impossible
• You feel motivated to explore your potential

This comes down to a few key ingredients:

Sustainable Routine

Your routine must fit sustainably within your life, even when things get chaotic. I’d rather a new runner start with a doable routine than an ideal one that only works when everything’s perfect. Because when life happens, many runners feel discouraged and quit if they miss workouts.

A schedule that’s successful even in tough weeks is best. We can always add more later as a bonus. For example, take my client Shirley. She’s a busy bank executive who wanted to start running to relieve stress and improve her health. She also admitted she aimed to beat her younger sister Linda’s half-marathon time because she’s ultra competitive!

My challenge was convincing Shirley not to copy Linda’s 5–6 day per week training, although that’s what she initially wanted to do. Linda has way more free time, as she’s been running for 10 years. I knew Shirley’s schedule wouldn’t support that mileage, and, being Type A, she’d feel like a failure if she missed a run, which was very likely given her job demands.

After some convincing, we started with a 3–4 day/week schedule, adding a fifth day when her week permitted. This balance worked perfectly! Shirley felt great getting in “bonus” 5-day weeks but never felt defeated when work only allowed 3 runs. Most importantly, the routine stuck. We sailed through the first month, kept consistency for 3 months, and now we’ve got our sights on her first half marathon, with the stretched goal of beating little Sis!

Key Takeaway: Choose an easily maintainable routine for your schedule, even if it means less mileage at first. Sustainable consistency trumps an overly ambitious plan that will likely fail when life gets chaotic.

Bad Weeks Will Happen

Your meticulously planned routine will inevitably get disrupted at times, and that’s ok! When you miss runs, don’t let it completely throw off your program. Ease back into your schedule and go with the flow. One bad week here and there won’t negate all your hard work if you get back on track. This happens to every runner. You may also notice some natural ebbs and flows.

For example, I train very steadily in the summer since I run early when daylight allows, plus I tolerate the heat well. But I know I’ll need running partners and other accountability strategies to stick to my routine once winter hits and the cold darkness sets in most mornings. You may encounter similar seasonal swings.

Find Running Partners

While solo runs can be therapeutic, having a consistent training partner or group is hugely beneficial for long-term success. Humans are social creatures, after all. The “lonely long-distance runner” trope is largely a myth. I cherish my alone time logging miles, but I also know that meeting friends for runs has kept me on track many times when motivation lags. With so many clubs and online communities these days, it’s easier than ever to add accountability.

Set Scary Goals

Signing up for a big, audacious challenge can also work wonders when you need motivation to stick to your running routine. My wife gets bored just running consistently with no finish line, so she uses races to spur disciplined training. When she recently fell into a rut, she registered for a tough 30K trail race, much longer than her typical road races. Having that intimidating goal got her back to diligent miles.

As experienced runners know, signing up for a longer distance, a different race format, fresh terrain, etc. can re-energize your drive when training feels stale. Routines inevitably bring comfort, complacency, and bad habits over time. Scary goals break that.

Consistency is Key

Maintaining any exercise routine long-term takes grit, adaptability, and self-awareness. Success lies not just in your planned regimen but in how quickly you get back on track after stumbling. By picking partners, events, and habits that build accountability and motivation suited to your unique needs, you can run stronger for years to come.

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