A running watch shows you dozens of numbers after every run. When you're starting out, most of them can wait. This guide explains the few that matter, what they tell you, and gives a simple eight-week plan to go from walking and running to 30 minutes of running without stopping.
In short. In your first months, watch three things: how long you ran, how often, and whether you could talk while running. Mix running and walking, run three times a week, and add a little each week. Ignore pace for now. Your body needs time to get used to running, so going slowly at first is what lets you keep going.
The numbers, and which ones to watch first
| Number | What it means | When to care |
|---|---|---|
| Time | How long you ran or ran-walked. | From day one. It's the best way to measure your progress at first. |
| Heart rate | How hard your body is working, beats per minute. | Early on, to check your easy runs stay easy. |
| Pace | Minutes per kilometre. Lower is faster. | Later. At first it changes with hills, wind and tiredness more than with fitness. |
| Cadence | Steps per minute. | Later, if you have aches; see below. |
| Training load | One number for how hard each run was, adding duration and effort. | After a few months, to see whether your weeks are building steadily. |
| HRV | Heart-rate variability, measured at night: a sign of how well you've recovered. | Once you train regularly, compared with your own normal, never someone else's. |
Wrist heart rate is less reliable in the first minutes of a run, in the cold, and during fast changes of pace. If the number looks strange, trust how you feel: if you can talk in full sentences, you're running easy.
Your first 8 weeks
Three sessions a week, with a rest day between them. Start every session with 5 minutes of brisk walking. Run slowly enough to talk; walk briskly in the walking breaks.
| Week | Each session (after a 5-minute walk) | Running in total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 × (1 min run, 2 min walk) | 8 min |
| 2 | 6 × (2 min run, 2 min walk) | 12 min |
| 3 | 5 × (3 min run, 2 min walk) | 15 min |
| 4 | 4 × (5 min run, 2 min walk) | 20 min |
| 5 | 3 × (8 min run, 2 min walk) | 24 min |
| 6 | 2 × (12 min run, 2 min walk) | 24 min |
| 7 | 20 min run, 2 min walk, 8 min run | 28 min |
| 8 | 30 min run | 30 min |
If a week feels too hard, repeat it. There's no prize for finishing in eight weeks; plenty of people take twelve. Once you can run 30 minutes, keep three runs a week for a month before adding more.
Setting up your watch
- Enter your age, height and weight, so heart-rate zones and calories start from sensible values.
- Wear it snugly, a finger's width above the wrist bone, so heart rate reads well.
- Turn on auto-pause if you stop at traffic lights, and a run-walk or interval timer if your watch has one: it beeps when it's time to walk or run.
- Leave the pace alerts off for now. At this stage they mostly push you to run too fast.
What you need
Very little. A pair of running shoes that feel comfortable from the first minute matters more than any brand or technology: try a few in a shop if you can. Add clothes that don't rub, and a watch or phone to time your runs. You don't need a chest strap, special socks or a plan bought online to start.
Staying motivated
- Fix your three runs in your week like appointments, at times you can keep.
- Run with someone, or join a beginners' group: it's easier to show up when someone is waiting.
- Look back, not only forward. Your watch's history shows how far you've come since week 1.
- Pick a goal, such as a local 5 km in two or three months, to give the weeks a direction.
Avoiding injuries
New runners get hurt mostly for one reason: doing too much, too soon. Your heart and lungs improve within weeks, but your tendons, bones and joints take months to catch up. A few habits help:
- Add a little at a time. Increase your weekly running gradually, and hold steady for a week now and then.
- Keep a rest day between runs for the first months.
- Run on varied, softer ground when you can: paths, grass, tracks.
- Shorter, quicker steps. If your knees or shins ache, raising your cadence by about 5 to 10 % (smaller steps, same speed) reduces the load on the knee and hip with each stride.
- Add some strength work: two short sessions a week of squats, lunges and calf raises make your legs more robust.
Muscle soreness for a day or two is normal. A pain in one precise spot, pain that gets worse as you run, or pain that makes you limp is not: stop running and see a doctor or physiotherapist. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or haven't exercised in a long time, check with your doctor before you start.
After the 8 weeks
Once 30 minutes feels comfortable, keep running three times a week and lengthen one run a little each week, up to about 45 to 60 minutes. A first 5 km race is a good next goal: most people who finish this plan can run one within a few weeks. After a few months of regular running, a little faster running (short strides at first) and a weekly longer run will help you keep improving.
That's also when the other numbers start to be useful. Training load shows whether your weeks are building steadily, and your morning HRV tells you when to take an easier day.
Ask about your running in MyTrainingDesk
MyTrainingDesk reads every run from your watch and its coach answers your questions from your own data: is my heart rate too high on easy runs, am I running too much this week, am I getting fitter? It also plans your next weeks with you.
Read next
Sources
- Videbæk S, Bueno AM, Nielsen RO, Rasmussen S. Incidence of running-related injuries per 1000 h of running in different types of runners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2015; 45(7): 1017–1026.
- Nielsen RO, Buist I, Sørensen H, Lind M, Rasmussen S. Training errors and running related injuries: a systematic review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2012; 7(1): 58–75.
- Heiderscheit BC, Chumanov ES, Michalski MP, Wille CM, Ryan MB. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011; 43(2): 296–302.