Week 2
Remember to warm up before running.
| series 1 | series 2 | series 3 | series 4 | series 5 | ||||||
| running | marching | running | marching | running | marching | running | marching | running | marching | |
| day 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 1-day break | ||||||||||
| day 2 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 2,5 | 3,5 |
| 1-day break | ||||||||||
| day 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2-day break | ||||||||||
If you manage to complete the entire day, you can safely proceed to the next one. If you are having a bad day and cannot run the entire training, it will be better for you to repeat the training after a day’s break. There is no need to hurry – regularity is more important than results.
The best time of day to run
One of the quiet arguments among runners is about the clock. Some swear by dawn; others cannot imagine running before lunch. The honest answer is that there is no single best hour, but each part of the day comes with its own character, and knowing them helps you pick what fits your life.
Morning
Early runs have a certain appeal that is hard to fake. The streets are quiet, the air feels fresh, and the whole thing is done before the day has a chance to fill up with excuses. That last point matters more than any physiological argument: runners who go first thing tend to be the most consistent, simply because nothing has had time to derail the plan. The trade-off is that your body is still waking up. Muscles are stiffer and you feel less limber, so a proper warm-up matters more than it does later on.
Afternoon
By mid-afternoon your body is warmed up in the literal sense. Body temperature has risen through the day and muscles tend to feel looser, which is why many people find they simply move better then. In colder months the afternoon can also be the mildest window you will get, which makes the run more pleasant and, on icy mornings, a bit safer underfoot. The catch is scheduling. Carving out a run in the middle of a working day takes some planning.
Evening
An evening run is a decompression tool. After a long day it can be a genuinely effective way to shake off tension and clear your head before dinner. The body is still warm and cooperative, much like the afternoon, and evenings are often when running clubs and social groups meet, so it is the easiest time to turn a solitary habit into a shared one. The main thing to watch is that a hard run too close to bedtime can leave some people wired when they are trying to wind down.
If you are torn, the most useful advice is boring but true: try all three for a week or two and pay attention to which one you actually keep doing. The best time to run is the one you will still be running a month from now.