Learn How to Run 30 Minutes Nonstop in 5 Weeks
Want to learn how to Run? Hi, all my go-getters! Today I will help you learn how to run continuously or gain tips to run more efficiently! My goal for this post wasn’t about the miles I run but to focus on running consecutively for a period of time. I’d like to get up to 30 minutes without stopping! Throughout this blog post, I will be talking about how I felt before and after every run along with any challenges I faced! I hope this helps to inspire you to get outside and get active. Let’s get started on this running experience project and help you learn how to run.
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It is the end of November here in Virginia and the weather is a comfortable 57 degrees with no wind, aka a perfect day to start running! I took the photos for this blog post in the summer so my discussions about 26 degrees and being in a tank top in the photos will be a little off until I update my writing. I will be updating this blog post as I go along and learn more so leave a comment below on how you would like to see this post improve! This was my first round of doing a 2-minute to 30-minute month run and I plan on repeating it a few times throughout the year as I switch from lifting to running. So let’s begin this 5-week journey!
Day One: 2:00 Minutes Run
Starting isn’t the hardest part of any journey, continuing it for the rest of your life is the real challenge. I have been feeling unenergized every day and I have been feeling the stress in my body and mind. I started to walk every day for 5-10 miles on average but I wasn’t getting the results I desired so I’ve turned to running. Running takes a lot less time also. Today I started off with a 2:00-minute run! The first minute was a breeze and the second was a smidge challenging but do-able! I got a tiny headache but I think I just need to focus on breathing more during my run (think yoga breathing!)
Day Two: 2:30 Minutes Run
Today was pretty easy! I felt like I could have gone longer but it’s really important to build yourself up to avoid injury! My motivation to get out and go was a little low. However, one great tip to get motivated is to get dressed in good workout attire. I highly suggest investing in a good pair of running shoes and running pants. Running pants with a front-tie and a back pocket for me to zip my phone up in is crucial for my run. The weather today was 56 degrees! I feel great after my short run and I’m looking forward to getting a little bit further tomorrow.
Day Three: 3:00 Minutes Run
Today is 54 degrees so still amazing run weather! I am indifferent about running today. I am impressed at the fact that I will have ran for 7:30 minutes total running time so far this week! Small time increments add up! Halfway through the run, I wanted to give up but I pushed through and feel really good about it! Starting to remember how running has a huge mental aspect to it! Which reminded me that eventually when I’m running for longer I’ll have to be careful about what I eat before my runs. You’d be surprised at the difference it makes in how you feel when your running.
Day Four: 3:30 Minutes Run
Yay made it to the weekend! I jumped out of bed and got dressed for my run and I’m excited it will be a quick 3:30 minutes and I’m done for the day except I am doing a plank challenge as well! As a reminder, it is super important to have really good running pants so that you don’t have to adjust them while you’re on your run! The pants I’m wearing today have a tie but I forgot to tighten them and they kept falling so having to pull them up. It was very distracting and killed me getting in the zone. My Nike pull-over top kept rising up as well so I recommend a loose comfy shirt that will not do this as you run.
Day Five: Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Six: 5:00 Minutes Run
I feel great that I finished 5 Minutes today even though it is freezing outside and my throats feel like I’m getting sick. Going to try for 6:00 minutes tomorrow instead of the planned 5:30.
Day Seven: 6:00 Minutes Run
Today, I did not feel like going out into the cold (plus I have a dry throat) but did it!! It’s 43 degrees here today, which makes breathing a little harder when you are running. I worked up a little sweat but I feel great after completing 6 minutes! It made 2 minutes seem like nothing haha.
Day Eight: 7:00 Minutes
Today I decided to go for 7 minutes because I was not feeling good yesterday (unmotivated and Sinus infection feel coming on ). Today I really wanted to run! I was craving it. The last minute was pretty tough but breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth helped along with really comfortable clothes made all the difference. I also put on a hat and infinity scarf to keep me warm. I have a slight headache but I know I’m going to feel amazing later! Also, don’t drink soda before you run, you can really feel a difference in your body when you are pressing it to its limits.
Day Nine: 7:30 Minutes
Forgot I had told myself I was going to run 7:30! This will be cool! Throwing some good running music on now!
Just finished and it was way more mental power to stay focused and going. A few tips I have is to start off thinking about any stressors. Running helps relieve stress! A second huge tip is that I did not look at the clock this time. I allowed myself to look at it once when I thought I was almost done and then realized I still had 2 minutes left which was a little unmotivating but I pushed through it.
Day Ten: 8:00 Minutes
Ahh, it’s going to be so cold outside! Haha, why didn’t I start sooner when it was warm! Nervous but pretty excited!
Day Eleven: 8:30 Minutes
Definitely don’t feel like running today but I’m in good health and I’m excited to be running for 8:30 today! It’s good weather outside too, no snow and 41 degrees!
The run was super easy! My shins hurt slightly but other than that I can really feel my “out of breath feeling” disappear completely!
Day Twelve Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Thirteen Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Fourteen: 9 Minutes
I’m pretty excited to run today and go a little further than before! Also always a little nervous something is going to happen and I won’t make it.
Luckily I made it again today!! It’s definitely gotten easy to run the first 7 minutes and then I start looking at the clock and can start to feel running is more challenging at the last minute. Can’t wait to get up to 30 minutes a day! I’m getting closer!
Day Fifteen: 10 Minutes
Excited to get back out and make sure I can still run a long time and beat my record!!
I just finished and it’s the coldest outside I’ve run yet, at 29 degrees!! It’s actually starting to snow. My hands are tingling because of the temperature outside (Note to self: buy gloves). I also have new running Nike shoes on.
Today’s playlist: https://youtu.be/14NO6MiEcfo
Day Sixteen Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Seventeen: 11 Minutes
Super excited to be cranking out another minute! I missed yesterday’s run because it was freezing and I was feeling a slight cold coming on. Today that feeling of being sick is gone.
Day Eighteen Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Nineteen: 12 minutes
Today it’s super cold again and I have decided to buy a running mask online. I am ordering this one from Amazon today: Black Half Face Mask.
So I’m a little disappointed today. My timer stopped at one minute and I did not realize this for a good chunk of my run. I decided that I would run a little further distance than I did yesterday and count it as a job well done. Up to 13 minutes next run.
Day Twenty Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Twenty-One: 13 minutes
It’s freezing outside, 24 degrees! I got a cramp around 9:30 minutes but worked through it and finished! Every day gets harder but I’ve been making my goals which feel really good. I can start to feel the transition of running not being as hard physically but more mentally challenging.
Day Twenty-Two Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Twenty-Three Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Twenty-Four: 13:30 Minutes
Today I went and ran at planet fitness on a treadmill! Running on a treadmill in my experience works different muscles and is a little easier. I have not researched much about running in super cold temperatures and I am a lil concerned about getting frostbite.
Day Twenty-Five: 14 Minutes
It’s been three days since I ran but I was able to get up to 14 Minutes! Today I was able to put myself on autopilot when I was running. I got into a comfortable rhythm and I felt like I could just keep going! It was a great feeling. My running mask came in the mail which will be super useful for days it’s cold outside. I enjoyed wearing the mask!
Day Twenty-Six: 15 Minutes
Today was super easy! It was a little challenging mentally because I was thinking how long 15 Minutes is but I got into a good rhythm and did it!!
Day Twenty-Seven: 16 Minutes
Today was pretty warm out at 68 degrees! I ran for 2-minutes with my friend earlier in the day and played some tennis which was a nice warm-up for the longer run. Today was by far the easiest run. I did not get any cramps and I felt like I could keep going for as long as I wanted to! I’m patiently waiting for the run where I get runners high haha.
Day Twenty-Eight: 18 Minutes
Today I didn’t check my blog post so I thought I was supposed to be running 17 minutes but I did 18 instead! Today was challenging to not give up and to keep going. I felt the struggle start around 8 minutes in which surprised me because I have done that time over and over again easily! Once I got past that initial mental struggle, I was able to keep going with ease. My calves started to feel a little tight today, but other than that it was super fun!
Day Twenty-Nine: 20 Minutes
Today I felt super accomplished when I finished running! I got a slight cramp around 14 minutes in and I think it was from eating a little bit of chicken too soon before my run. I felt my calves getting tight today so I am going to make sure to stretch before and after my runs. It was challenging to keep running mentally but I kept my mind occupied by counting or singing lyrics or anything other than the negative thoughts of stopping!! It worked and I completed 2 miles!
Day Thirty: 22 minutes
Today I was having a lot of intense anxiety before my run but now laying down the beat red in the face and out of breath with a tiny sore throat from breathing hard, but I actually feel lifted and amazing!! My bad feelings have been lifted which is all I could ever ask for in a perfect day. Around minute 16 I started to have doubts about finishing but I kept at it and was determined to finish. Sometimes the mantra ” keep going, keep going” helps a lot. Around minute 20 I felt I could go on for another 10 minutes but once I got to 22 minutes I was ready to stop. I worked up a good sweat today finally!
Day Thirty-One: 23 Minutes
Today I ran with my friend at Great Falls, Maryland. It was a new terrain and I had also forgotten my headphone (so I just put my phone on speaker) so I was nervous. I only noticed a small headache at the end and for some reason, I can’t stop sneezing!
Day Thirty-Two Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Thirty-Three Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Day Thirty-Four Rest
Take a rest day and stretch. This is a good day to do another activity such as lifting or walking!
Thirty-Five: 25 Minutes
I was going to do 24 minutes today but I am really feeling good about running today so I added another minute. I had the thought “I have finally made it” because of how good the run felt and how easy it was on my body! I look forward to running now which is a huge difference from when I started.
Day Thirty-Six: 30 Minutes
This took me 36 days to accomplish! Life isn’t perfect and you can’t let yourself get down if you miss a day of working out here and there or if one day you do not make your goal. When those times happen just give yourself a break and try again, you will succeed if you keep practicing. What matters is that you keep doing it and don’t let too many days pass between the last time you did it. I enjoyed making my own running schedule. I challenge you to either follow mine or even better create your own and what works for you! I hope this post helped you learn how to run a little more.
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tomer dubrov says
wow, amazing article
thx for sharing!
Kenya Chestnut says
This is amazing . The best part about starting a new blog is meeting awesome bloggers like you . Great content I’ve been trying so hard to do more running but I always feel overwhelmed by not being able to run for long .
I played basketball so everything I do is short and quick I will definitely use these tips for a endurance run <3
Happy blogging
Jessica Lacy says
nice fitness tips I wish to implement in my life wonderful This is so inspirational, and the fact that you logged the entire month is amazing!
Jessica Lacy says
nice fitness tips I wish to implement in my life
Martika Brianne says
This is so inspirational, and the fact that you logged the entire month is amazing!
I LOVE working out and doing weight training, but I’ve always felt that running has been a huge weakness of mine, and I always avoid it if I can (Maybe I’ll do 5 mins straight on a treadmill, but I run out of breath).
I’d love to get better at being motivated, so thank you for this post! I’m going to take regimen and turn it into something that could work for me! 🙂
kitstanwood@gmail.com says
Let me know how your regimen works out and what you did differently that worked for you! I’d love to incorporate tips for everyone (: I’m definitely planning on doing this again this year and tracking it! I love running in the cold weather. I get too over heated in the summertime. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Kelsey says
Wow kit!! You’re swriously so inspiring!! Awesome content!!
Districtofchic says
I’m a terrible runner! These are such great tips for getting started!
kitstanwood@gmail.com says
Thank you so much!! Hope you put these running tips to good use (;
Lauren says
Omg I absolutely hate running but this post gives me inspiration to try! I usually do the elliptical because I get horrible shin splints but maybe it’s because I don’t have good running shoes. I should try one of the pairs you have.
kitstanwood@gmail.com says
Oh yeaaa shin splints is real talk!!! They eventually go away once you’ve built your muscles up! It’s hard to get through that period tho. I get them and give my legs a rest for 3-4 days and then get back to running if I can.
Ingrid says
I need to get back into running… Thank you for all the tips and advice!
Ingrid | thatscandinavianfeeling.com
Brigette Collins says
Ok… this is a great strategy! But seriously… how cute are your workout clothes!? I seriously need them!
Raysa Garcia says
Such an amazing post! You look incredible.
I love and enjoy working out.
I do intense cardio 3 to 4 times a week for 35 mts on the Stairmaster.
Great tips. I also, love your workout gear! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post.
Xx, Raysa