I was part of a running group in Mumbai with about 20 participants. Whenever someone joined the group, they introduced themselves to us and vice versa.

At the start of a new coaching season, Samhita (who quickly became “Sam”) joined our group. She was regular with the exercise sessions, where our coaches focussed on building strength and stamina.  I did notice that she was rather quiet; probably she was taking her time to absorb the culture of this friendly group who had no qualms teasing each other whenever they got the opportunity.

One day just four of us showed up for training, so the session ended tad earlier. I checked in on Sam – whether she was enjoying the sessions and if she had a goal in mind. She mentioned that she was a first-time runner and was keen to earn a 10k medal. Recently, her friend had done the dream run and asked her to join in. However, Sam wanted to do “the real thing”. Having been the recipient of insights from many seasoned runners in my journey, I offered to help in any way that I could.

A couple of weeks later, Sam messaged asking if I could help with her running goal. Given that the rest of the group was preparing either for a half or full marathon, and she had never run, she was feeling a bit tongue-tied there. I had completed two full marathons in two months, and did not have any run lined up for the next few months, so I happily agreed. I asked Sam if she was regular with her health check-ups and if everything was in order, and she replied in affirmative. We talked about the need for sleep discipline and she said that she loved her sleep and was a sound sleeper. We also talked about the importance of a healthy diet and the role of proteins and carbohydrates. I told her about the concept of maximum heart rate, and suggested that she educate herself on the running features of her Apple watch.

Sam was a senior executive and was balancing things on the home front as well. She wanted a flexible plan. So, we agreed to plan only two weeks at a time and make tweaks as we progressed. Given that she was starting from scratch, we also decided to start slow and build up gradually. As a part of the running group, she was already doing strength exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (M, W, F), so we just needed to focus on walking/ running. The plan was to repeat everything for two weeks and then increase either distance or speed.

Week 1-7: We started with a 2km casual walk on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and planned a 4 km walk on Sundays. Casual walk implied no time pressure. We walked at a pace comfortable for her in 1 km loops. The first Sunday, after 3 kms she was tired, so we decided to break early. The following Sunday, she completed 4 kms though she did the last 1km at a slower pace, partially because of her experience of the previous week.

After a month, when she became comfortable with walking, I introduced the concept of speed. Over the next three weeks, we just worked at trying to achieve the same distance in lesser time- still walking, but at a brisk pace. This was planned for two weeks but Sam fell sick, and we opted for extra rest and focused on full recovery before re-starting. At the end of seven weeks, she was doing a brisk 5km walk.

Weeks 8- 20: The next step was to get Sam to start jogging. We changed our loop to a square one, where she could jog for one part of the four sides.  After two weeks, we increased it to two parts, alternating between a jog and a walk. The distance was still the same, we just worked on jogging and speed. 

After four weeks, when we moved to jogging three sides of the square loop, Sam’s knee began to hurt. I advised the use of ice packs and rest initially, and then added knee strengthening exercises to the regime. After a week, when she was comfortable again, we restarted with a step down. In four weeks, she was able to jog through a 5km distance, with short breaks to catch her breath and hydrate.

Twenty weeks into the training, the journey had been good thus far. It had taken time, but we could see visible progress. On her part, Sam was consistent and showed up on time. I continued to encourage and motivate her, and at times challenge her as well. We reviewed data from her walks/runs regularly, and seeing the progress boosted Sam’s confidence. If she could not achieve her target on some days, I found her fiercely determined next time.

Weeks 21- 27: Now that Sam was able to do 5km without much of an issue, she became confident of signing up for a 10km run scheduled in two months. We reverted to our original loop, and started in right earnest. The plan was to do 4km jogs on weekdays and gradually increase the long run distance with pauses. We did 6km the first week, but the next week, Sam sprained her ankle in a fall. Thankfully, it was not too bad, and she was ready to train after three days. I asked her to rest a couple of days more before we resumed training. We restarted with casual walks and gradually came back to our plan.

In 5 weeks, Sam did her first practice 10km run and was able to complete it comfortably in 1 hour and 22 minutes. From then on, we just focussed on maintaining tempo, remaining injury free and stretching regularly.

Sam received her first 10km medal 30 weeks after we began training, completing the race in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Both of us were super happy with this achievement. I could not be there so she sent me pictures of herself wearing the medal and smiling with pride.

We had a chai party to celebrate the occasion. Sam excitedly described the whole run in great detail, including when she stopped to hydrate, and when she increased her speed. The experience of having crowds cheer for her and then receiving the medal made her feel like a rockstar. As most runners do, she analysed that she could have saved 2 minutes and completed the run in 1 hour and 15 minutes, a timing that seemed more respectable to her! I joked about these being unending targets and we had a good laugh.

While completing a 10km run might sound trivial to most serious runners, it is the beginning of a journey. Sam and I discussed how this experience had transformed her; she agreed it had made her more disciplined and given her something to look forward to. She experienced benefits beyond just running. Her body had shed extra fat; she was able to fit into her old jeans and that made her super proud and happy. She felt that the workouts had been a great stress buster, helped her concentrate better at work and she felt more confident overall. She had kind words for me, but I pointed out that my role was that of a catalyst; she was the one who did the hard work. We remembered the day when she was struggling to walk beyond 3km, and were mighty pleased with where she had reached.

Week-wise Summary of base plan

• Alternate day strength training/ yoga throughout, 1 day of full rest

Weeks	Details
1 & 2	Casual walk (2-2-4 km).
3 & 4	Casual walk (3-3-5 km)
5 & 6	Brisk walk (3-3-5 km)
7 & 8	1/4 jog 3/4 brisk walk (3-3-5 km)
9 &10	1/2 jog 1/2 brisk walk (3-3-5 km)
11 & 12	3/4 jog 1/4 brisk walk (3-3-5 km)
13 & 14	Full jog (3-3-5 km)
15	4-4-6 km jog/ run
16	4-4-7 km jog/ run
17	5-5-7 km jog/ run
18	5-5-8 km jog/ run
19	6-6-8 km jog/ run
20	6-6-9 km jog/ run
21	7-7-9 km jog/ run
22	7-7-10 km jog/ run

Key Takeaways

1. Most people who do not have any physical ailments can complete a 10km run. Ensuring regular medical check-ups is key to starting strong. As also are proper sleep and diet. In some ways, these are non-negotiables in a runner’s journey.
2. The time it takes depends on one’s starting physical state. People who are physically active, but not into running, will be able to get there in 12-16 weeks, while those starting from scratch will typically take 20-28 weeks. When you plan, it is always better to keep some buffer time, to accommodate other priorities or unforeseen breaks due to illness/travel.
3. A plan that allows for gradual build up helps avoid injuries and other stresses. Keeping it dynamic and flexible and tweaking it as per requirements, ensures that one can achieve their objective while being able to balance other aspects of life.
4. For most runners and especially beginners, yoga / stretches/ strength training on alternate days is very important.
5. One needs to ensure that besides proper sleep, one gets at least a full day’s rest, so that muscles can recover and rejuvenate.
6. A running shoe in line with one’s specific needs is important.
7. Most things in life take time to achieve, so consistency, sincerity and perseverance are the key. Same is the case with running, whatever your distance or speed goal may be.
8. Although most people think of running as a physical exercise, it has multiple mental health benefits besides an elevated mood and feeling happier. Research has shown that it can lead to an overall improvement in brain performance and prevent cognitive decline. It also has a dramatic anti-depressive effect and helps us cope better with physical and emotional stress. Other benefits include improved working memory and focus and better task-switching ability.
9. Running is a process of self-improvement. There is much joy in the journey, and milestones are important. However, the biggest benefit is becoming the person that the journey made you.
10. Running (and any form of self-improvement) is an infinite loop. There is always scope for improvement, and we are always work-in-progress. While working towards a better future, it is important to look back and see how far we have come to boost our confidence and also enjoy the milestones we have achieved.

(Inspired by a true story. Names and some details changed to maintain privacy)