Running Race Countdown

Pick the distance you can train for safely in the weeks you have. For most people starting out that is a 5K or 10K; a half or full marathon makes sense once you already run several times a week.

Start from a recent race or timed run and scale it to the new distance. With no recent time, leave a rough guess or make finishing comfortably your goal; your plan will tell you how realistic it looks.

Pick the level that matches the last four weeks, not your best season. Between two? Choose the lower one: a plan that starts too easy can catch up, and one that starts too hard is how injuries begin.

Both change what a realistic plan looks like. Age changes how long you need to recover between hard sessions, and both help the plan judge how realistic your target time is.

To set a safe starting load. Every stride lands with a multiple of your body weight, so your size helps the plan decide how quickly weekly running can grow. They are never used to set weight-loss targets.

From a base of running a few times a week, allow about 6–8 weeks for a 5K, 8–10 for a 10K, 10–14 for a half marathon and 16–20 for a marathon. Starting from scratch, add several weeks.

Anything that changes which days you can run or how hard: a current or recent injury, a health condition, other sports you play, days that are always busy, and trips or events in the weeks ahead.

Because most of your fitness comes from running easy, often. An easy run should let you talk in full sentences. Running it harder makes you more tired without making you much fitter.

Skip it and pick up the next scheduled session. Do not squeeze the missed run into the next day or double up. One missed day costs you nothing; cramming two into one is how injuries start.

Because fitness is built while you recover, not while you run. Training is the signal; rest is when your body responds to it. Rest days also lower the risk of the overuse injuries that end many training plans.