Make your next run count
Couch to 5K plan
Build a nine-week run/walk schedule on three days of your choice.
Choose a Monday start and three running days to create 27 dated sessions. Each week explains the warm-up, running and walking intervals, repeat count and cool-down in clear steps, with the total time shown. Later weeks move to continuous running. Save a PDF or add every session to your calendar.
Every session includes a five-minute walk at the start and another at the end. The same workout repeats on your three selected days within each week, making the routine easy to follow.
Your 9-week plan
Run and walk sessions, with a walking warm-up and cool-down.
- Starts
- Last session
- Sessions
- 27
Week 1
Starting
Start with short runs and walks
Do this workout on each of your 3 scheduled days. Follow the steps in order.
This week's workout
30 min per session
Warm-up
Walk for 5 min
Run and walk
Repeat 8 timesRun for 1 min
then Walk for 1 min 30 sec
Cool-down
Walk for 5 min
Total time includes the warm-up and cool-down walks.
Monday
Run / walk
First session: follow this week's pattern, including the opening and closing walks.
Session time30:00 totalWednesday
Run / walk
Second session: repeat the same workout. The session pattern stays unchanged within this week.
Session time30:00 totalSaturday
Run / walk
Final session: complete this week's workout before moving to the next scheduled pattern.
Session time30:00 total
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to a qualified professional, such as your doctor, before you act.
A little context
Get more from your result.
The steps, examples and sources
behind this tool.
Build your own running plan
- Choose a Monday start date.
- Select exactly three different run days.
- Read each week's run/walk instructions and full session time.
- Download all 27 sessions with Save PDF, share, print or add them to a calendar.
A worked example
Choose a Monday start date and run on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Your plan has 27 sessions over nine weeks.
Your first session
- Warm up: Walk for 5 minutes.
- Main workout: Run for 1 minute, then walk for 1 minute 30 seconds. Repeat this pair 8 times.
- Cool down: Walk for 5 minutes.
Total: 30 minutes. Both walks are included.
Each session in week 9
Walk for 5 minutes, run for 30 minutes, then walk for another 5 minutes.
Total: 40 minutes.
How your nine-week plan works
Do the same workout on each of your three selected days that week.
- 1. Warm-up
- Walk for 5 minutes.
- 2. Main workout
- Follow your week's instructions below.
- 3. Cool-down
- Walk for 5 minutes.
Your workout, week by week
Every total below includes the warm-up and cool-down walks.
Week 1
Run for 1 minute, then walk for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Repeat this pair 8 times30 minutestotal per session
Week 2
Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Repeat this pair 6 times31 minutestotal per session
Week 3
Run for 3 minutes, then walk for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Repeat this pair 5 times32 minutes 30 secondstotal per session
Week 4
Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes.
Repeat this pair 3 times31 minutestotal per session
Week 5
Run for 8 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes.
Repeat this pair 3 times40 minutestotal per session
Week 6
Run for 12 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes.
Repeat this pair 2 times38 minutestotal per session
Week 7
Run continuously for 20 minutes.
Continuous run30 minutestotal per session
Week 8
Run continuously for 25 minutes.
Continuous run35 minutestotal per session
Week 9
Run continuously for 30 minutes.
Continuous run40 minutestotal per session
Planning your sessions
- Start on a Monday. This keeps all your selected sessions on or after your start date.
- Calendar entries are all-day events. You can choose when to do each workout.
- Switching between kilometres and miles keeps the same workout times. This plan sets time targets, with no set distance to cover.
About this schedule: These weekly workouts follow StrideSheet's own planning rules. They are different from the NHS programme's session sequence.
A few useful answers
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adult Activity: An Overview
General adult physical activity guidance. Does not prescribe the exact workouts or progressions in these tools.
- NHS: Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
Adult activity guidance and advice to speak to a GP when returning to exercise or with health concerns. The run/walk sequence here is this site's own planning rule.
- RFC Editor: RFC 5545: Internet Calendaring and Scheduling
The iCalendar date and floating local-time event format.
Last checked:
StrideSheet team
We build free running tools: training plans built to your race date, pace bands and race-day plans. Our plans follow published training principles and are a guide, not medical advice.