9 Weeks, 3x per week
Go from the couch to running 5 kilometers in about 9 weeks, with three runs per week.
The plan is split into three phases of about three weeks each:
Phase 1: short run/walk intervals.
Phase 2: longer running intervals with short walking breaks.
Phase 3: one continuous run, extended a little each session up to 30 minutes.
Every session starts with a short joint warmup (knees, ankles, hips) followed by a 5-minute walk, and ends with a 5-minute walk. The timers advance automatically with audio cues, so you can keep your phone in your pocket. Run at an easy, conversational pace: if you cannot speak in full sentences, slow down.
Unlike the classic program, the durations adapt to what you actually did last session, so it is fine to progress more slowly or repeat a phase for longer.