Couch to 5K NZ, a free 9-week course by email

Your first run is one minute at a time

Week 1 is eight one-minute jogs with walks between. By week 9 you're running for 30 minutes, with a parkrun or 5K near you to run it at.

NZ Running

Week 1: 60 seconds at a time

to me · 6:30 am

Week 1 of 9Couch to 5K NZ

Your three sessions this week

Same session, three times

5-minute warm-up walk, then 60 s jog and 90 s walk, eight times.

This week's tip: go slowly enough that you could talk. If you can't, you're running too fast, not too far.

Near you

Five flat loops for a first run, chosen by region.

Stuck? Repeat the week. Check with your GP if unsure; stop if it hurts.

“I couldn’t run for the bus in September. I finished week 9 at my local parkrun.”

Sarah, Lower Hutt

“Being told I could repeat a week is the only reason I didn’t quit in week 3.”

Tama, Hamilton

“Week 2’s email found me a walk-run group ten minutes from home. I still go on Tuesdays.”

Priya, Christchurch

Where nine weeks take you

Every bar is a real session. The dark grows a little each week until, in week 5, there is no walking left in it.

Most people who start Couch to 5K don't finish it, and doing it alone is one of the reasons. So each email points you at the run clubs and 5K events near you as you go.

Week 18 minutes of jogging in a 20-minute run/walk session
Week 29 minutes of jogging in a 21-minute run/walk session
Week 39 minutes of jogging in a 18-minute run/walk session
Week 416 minutes of jogging in a 21.5-minute run/walk session
Week 520 minutes of continuous jogging
Week 625 minutes of continuous jogging
Week 725 minutes of continuous jogging
Week 828 minutes of continuous jogging
Week 930 minutes of continuous jogging

JoggingWalkingEach week's last session, after a 5-minute warm-up walk

Before you start

I can’t run for one minute. Is this for me?: Yes. Week 1 is 60 seconds of jogging at a time with walks between, and repeating a week as often as you need is part of the plan, not a failure of it.
What does it cost?: Nothing. It is an email course: you give an email address, and every email has a link to stop them.
When does it start?: Week 1 arrives straight away, so you can start on whatever day suits you. The next week follows seven days later.
Should I check anything first?: If you have a health condition, are coming back from an injury or are unsure, check with your GP before you start. Stop if it hurts.

One email a week with that week's three sessions, one tip, and a local way to keep going.

Your first run is one minute at a time

Where nine weeks take you

Before you start

Start the free 9-week course