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The week of workouts below is for SELF’s Learn to Love Running Program, our brand-new, beginner-friendly plan that will get you running 30 minutes nonstop! Here’s what you need to know to get started.
Welcome to double digits—that’s right, you’re heading into the 10th week of this program. By the time you hit this week’s longer effort, you’ll have just two weeks left before you reach your goal!
About that long run/walk: This is the last week where your running intervals increase by only a small amount (in this case, from 4 minutes to 5.5 minutes). Next week, you’ll tackle an entire 15-minute block of running, en route to the 30-minute effort that caps off this program.
Week 10 at a Glance:For your first cardio session of the week, you’ll be doing 4.5-minute running intervals and just 1 minute of walking in between.
If you normally listen to music while running, why not try something new today? Trade your tunes for an audiobook. Consider a read written and narrated by a pro runner (we love Lauren Fleshman’s Good for a Girl) or one that’s completely unrelated to the sport. (Here are 16 more of our picks, including some fiction, if that’s more your jam.)
Monday: Run/Walk Intervals
5-minute warm-upWalk 1 minute, run 4.5 minutes (repeat 4 times)5- to-10-minute cooldownTotal time: 32–37 minutes(back to top)
Tuesday: Active Recovery (Optional) or Rest
Your pick today: a complete rest day, or an active recovery day. Whether you rest completely or tackle one of our mobility routines, consider putting on one of these chill but entertaining podcasts to give your brain a break too!
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Wednesday: Strength Training
Today is your second time moving through the final strength routine of the sequence. Even though you’ve only done these exact movements once before, remember that these exercises build on each other. So you might already be ready to pick up a heavier weight! Recall that what you’re going for here is 1 to 3 reps in reserve.
One other reminder: If your running shoes happen to be super-cushioned, it’s a good idea to lift in different shoes or take them off altogether. But definitely put a pair back on for the single-leg hops.
Wednesday: Strength Training Workout
What you need: A pair of dumbbells, a bench or step, and a mat for comfort. If you have a weight plate to elevate your foot for the calf raise, that’s great, but you can also use a low step, bench, or even a sturdy hardcover book.
Directions:
Do 8 reps on each side for your first exercise. (For moves by time, follow the time allotted in the description.) Rest 2–3 minutes. Repeat for 3 times total.Continue on to your next exercise and repeat until you’ve completed the first 5 moves.Do 10–20 reps of the assisted single-leg pogo hops on each side. Rest 2–3 minutes. Repeat for 3–4 times total.Exercises:
Single-Leg DeadliftStep-UpsBird Dog RowIsometric Calf RaiseCopenhagen PlankAssisted Single-Leg HopSingle-Leg Deadlift
Katie Thompson
Stand with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your legs. This is the starting position.Shift your weight to one leg, and while keeping a slight bend in that knee, raise your other leg straight behind your body, hinging at the hips to bring your torso parallel to the floor, and lower the weight toward the floor.Keep your back flat. At the bottom of the movement, your torso and raised leg should be almost parallel to the floor, with the weight a few inches off the ground. (If your hamstrings are tight, you may not be able to lift your leg as high.)Keeping your core tight, push through your heel to stand up straight and pull the weight back up to the starting position. Bring your raised leg back down to meet your left, but try to keep the majority of the weight on your planted foot.Pause there and squeeze your butt. That’s 1 rep. Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides.If you’re extra wobbly, you can hold a dumbbell in one hand and lightly touch a wall or other sturdy object for support, or you can try the kickstand deadlift from Weeks 5–8 until you get more comfortable with the move.
Step-Ups
Katie Thompson
Stand in front of a sturdy bench, box, or step, hands at your sides and feet hip-width apart.Step onto your surface with your left foot, then follow with your right foot. Pause for a moment when both feet are on top of the box, hip-width apart.With control, return your right foot to the floor, then step your left foot to the floor to return to your starting position. This is 1 rep. Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides.This move works your quads and your glutes.
Bird Dog Row
Katie Thompson
Get into tabletop position on a bench. Make sure your shoulders, elbows, and wrists are stacked in a straight line and that your knees are in line with your hips.Hold a dumbbell in your right hand at arm’s length so it hangs slightly below the bench. Extend your left leg back, while maintaining a flat back. Think about driving your foot toward the wall behind you to incorporate more tension in the glutes. This is the starting position.Keeping your body as stable as possible, retract your shoulder blade as you pull the dumbbell toward your ribs to do a row. Hold briefly at the top of the movement (your elbow should be past your ribs; if you’re not able to pull it that far, then the weight may be too heavy).Slowly lower the weight by extending your arm toward the floor. That’s 1 rep.Continue to do all of the reps on the same side, then repeat on the other side.The bird-dog row works your back and biceps, as well as provides a core challenge as your abs fight to stay stable. If you don’t have access to a bench, you could do the bent-over row from Weeks 5–9 instead.
Isometric Calf Raise
Katie Thompson
Place the toes of one foot on a step, weight plate, or other slightly raised surface; your heel will hang off the back of it. Grab a dumbbell in the hand on that same side and hold onto the back of a chair, a wall, or other sturdy surface with your other hand for balance. Bend the knee of the other leg so your heel points to the ceiling.Push through the toes to do a calf raise; you’ll be standing on the ball of that foot.Hold for 20–30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.This isometric exercise hones in on the calf muscles in your lower leg, which help power you through your miles.
Copenhagen Plank
Katie Thompson
Start in a forearm side plank by propping your body up on your right forearm, with your elbow stacked underneath your shoulder and your hand in front of your body. You can place your other hand on your hip or raise it in the air, whichever is more comfortable.Place your left leg on top of a bench, chair, or other stable surface. Hover your right leg slightly underneath.Hold 20–30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.If you find this move too challenging, repeat the side plank from Weeks 1–4 instead. To progress it a bit more, you can add an abduction: Instead of keeping both legs stacked and extended, you can raise your top leg in the air and hold.
Assisted Single-Leg Hop
Katie Thompson
Stand in front of a sturdy chair, box, or step. Place one foot on the raised surface, knee bent 90 degrees. Keep your other foot on the floor.Hop straight up and down with the foot that is on the floor. Aim to land on the ball of your foot and then jump back up again as quickly as possible.Do 10 to 20 reps, then repeat on the other side.This progression of the plyometric hop helps train power, explosiveness, agility, and balance.
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By now, you know the drill. The second run/walk of the week is the same as the first. In this case, you’ll do 1 minute of walking, then 4.5 minutes of running.
This time, consider going without headphones at all, especially if you’re doing this run/walk outside. Take the time to pay attention to the environment around you. To gamify it, mentally go through your ABCs or the rainbow, noticing something that starts with each letter of the alphabet (airplane! bunny! car!) or has all the colors in ROYGBIV.
If you’re on the treadmill, you can take a pass on opting out of music. But you can still be mindful of what’s around you by playing the ABC or rainbow game with objects in the gym or out the window.
Thursday: Run/Walk Intervals
5-minute warm-upWalk 1 minute, run 4.5 minutes (repeat 4 times)5-to-10-minute cooldownTotal time: 32–37 minutes(back to top)
Yesterday, we talked about noticing the environment around you. Today, on your rest day, consider taking a more hands-on approach to meeting Mother Nature: Might we suggest the art of nature crafting? Read on to learn how to make some yourself. Hunting for your natural mementos can not only be an act of mindfulness, but also a way to bring play back into your day-to-day—and get some cool (and inspiring!) personalized decor to boot.
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For your last and longest workout of the week, you’ll keep the 1-minute walking intervals, but extend the running intervals to 5.5 minutes. For that reason, you’re doing only four repetitions as opposed to five. You’ll also get a little extra walking in after your warm-up and before your cooldown to gradually elevate your heart rate and continue building your endurance.
We talked some about gratitude in Week 5. Not only is it a proven mood booster, but it’s also been shown to decrease athletes’ risk of burning out in their sport. As you stride today, take a mental inventory of everything you’re grateful for, from the cushiness of your running kicks to the helpful staff at the gym to the friends who’ve supported you on this journey.
Saturday: Long Run/Walk Intervals
5-minute warm-upWalk 2 minutesWalk 1 minute, run 5.5 minutes (repeat 4 times)Walk 2 minutes5- to-10-minute cooldownTotal time: 40–45 minutes(back to top)
It’s your day off—no workout at all today! Instead, speaking of those friends you’re grateful for, consider taking the opportunity to work on those relationships. Maybe visit an old haunt with a longtime pal who’s close by, or schedule a video call with one who’s farther away. Or, if your brain’s fried from all this planning, why not simply hang out and do nothing with people you love?
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Photography: Katie Thompson. Wardrobe styling: Kathleen Thomas. Hair: Walton Nunez. Makeup: Miranda Richards.
Athletes in order of appearance: Laura Girard, a NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of The Energy Academy, wears: Alo jacket, sports bra, shorts, and sneakers, and Comme si socks; Ameerah Omar, city captain and mindset coach for Adidas Runners NYC, wears: Alo sports bra and leggings, Nike socks, and Hoka sneakers; Morit Summers, a Brooklyn-based trainer and the owner of body-positive gym, Form Fitness Brooklyn, wears: Lululemon top and leggings, Aerie sports bra, and Nike sneakers; Amanda Katz, a certified personal trainer and running coach in New York City, wears: Adanola top and shorts, Nike sneakers, and socks.
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