Run Your Life

The 5K Plan for Beginners: Start Here

This is an 8-week plan built for people who want to run a 5K and have never done it, tried before and stopped, or need to start over. All three are welcome here. Sign up for the weekly training emails and log for a detailed training schedule. 

What you need: Comfortable shoes. 30 minutes, 3 days a week. That's it. If you are local, I highly recommend Toolen’s Running Start in Shiloh for a full evaluation to make sure you get the right shoes straight out of the gate. The right shoes matter-let’s start and stay healthy! Tell them Beth sent you...

Week 1-2: Walk/Run
3 days per week. Alternate 1 minute running / 2 minutes walking for 20-25 minutes. Don't worry about pace. Just keep moving. On two of your off days, weights are your friend! Go for a walk, yoga class, or some lifting days to keep building your momentum and keep your mind focused on the goal. 

Week 3-4: Build the Run
3 days per week. 2 minutes running / 1 minute walking for 25-30 minutes. You'll feel it getting easier. Trust that.

Week 5-6: Find Your Stride
Run for 10 minutes without stopping. If you need to walk, walk 30 seconds and start again. The goal is continuous movement, not speed.

Week 7: Pull Back
Two shorter runs (20 min each). Rest. Let your body absorb the work. Two longer walk/ runs with effort based intermissions.

Week 8: Race Week
Monday, Wednesday. Thursday runs- easier pace. Race day Saturday or Sunday. You've got this.

Beth's note: I started as a walker. So did most people I know who are now marathoners. There is no shame in mile one. There is only the choice to show up for mile two.

Tag your runs with #UnstoppableMile. 

I want to see them. :)

10k plan- Intermediate

Find Your Next Mile

This is a 10-week plan built for people who have finished a 5K and are ready for more, tried a 10K before and want to do it better, or are returning to running after time away. Wherever you're starting from, you belong here.

Sign up for the weekly training emails and log for a detailed training schedule.

What you need: Comfortable shoes. 35-40 minutes, 3-4 days a week. If you are local, I highly recommend Toolen's Running Start in Shiloh for a full shoe evaluation before you begin. The right shoes matter. Let's start and stay healthy. Tell them Beth sent you.

Week 1-2: Build the Base
3 days per week. Run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat for 25-30 minutes. Add one easy walk day. Don't chase pace. Chase consistency.

Week 3-4: Extend the Run
3-4 days per week. Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute for 30-35 minutes. Two off days include light cross training — weights, yoga, or a long walk. Keep moving even when you're not running.

Week 5-6: Find Your Rhythm
Run 15-20 minutes continuously. Walk 2 minutes if needed, then back to running. You are building the mental muscle now as much as the physical one. Trust the process.

Week 7-8: Push the Distance
One longer run per week, 35-40 minutes at an easy conversational pace. Two shorter runs at moderate effort. One full rest day. One cross training day. Your body is adapting. Let it.

Week 9: Pull Back
Two easy 20-minute runs. One moderate 30-minute run. Rest. Your legs are storing everything you've built. Don't interrupt that.

Week 10: Race Week
Monday and Wednesday easy runs, 20 minutes each. Thursday shake-out, 10 minutes easy. Friday rest. Race day Saturday or Sunday.

You've done the work. Go get it.

Beth's note: The 10K was the race that showed me I was a runner. Something shifts at this distance. Give it a chance to shift for you.

Tag your runs with #UnstoppableMile. I want to see them. 😊

HALF MARATHON

13.1 Miles. Your Miles.

This is a 14-week plan built for people who have finished a 5K or 10K and are ready to see what they're made of, runners returning after injury or life getting in the way, or anyone who has ever said "I could never run a half marathon." Especially them.

Sign up for the weekly training emails and log for a detailed training schedule.

What you need: Good shoes, a solid playlist, and the willingness to show up on the days you don't feel like it. Those are the days that build half marathoners. If you are local, Toolen's Running Start in Shiloh will make sure your shoes are working for you. Tell them Beth sent you.

Week 1-2: Establish the Habit
3 days per week. Two shorter runs, 25-30 minutes each. One longer run, 35-40 minutes at an easy pace. One cross training day. The goal right now is consistency, not speed.

Week 3-4: Build the Base
4 days per week. Two moderate runs, 30-35 minutes. One tempo run, 25 minutes at a comfortably hard effort. One long run, 45-50 minutes easy. Rest and cross train on remaining days.

Week 5-6: Introduce the Long Run
The long run becomes the anchor of your week. Work up to 60-70 minutes at a fully conversational pace. If you can't talk, slow down. Three shorter runs during the week at easy to moderate effort.

Week 7-8: Push the Threshold
Long run builds to 75-90 minutes. One tempo run per week, 30-35 minutes at moderate-hard effort. Two easy recovery runs. Your mental game is being built right alongside your legs.

Week 9-10: Peak Miles
Long run reaches 100-110 minutes. This is the hardest block. Rest seriously on your off days. Fuel before and during your long runs. Your body needs it now. Don't skip this.

Week 11-12: Maintain and Sharpen
Long run holds at 90-100 minutes. Add one race-pace segment, 20 minutes at your goal half marathon pace, within your long run. Two easy runs. One rest day. One cross train.

Week 13: Taper Begins
Pull everything back by 30-40 percent. Two easy 25-minute runs. One 60-minute easy long run. Rest. Trust your training. The work is done.

Week 14: Race Week
Monday easy 20 minutes. Wednesday easy 15 minutes. Thursday 10-minute shake-out. Friday complete rest. Race day Saturday or Sunday.

You are ready. Go prove it to yourself.

Beth's note: I ran my first half marathon as a backpacker, walking most of it, laughing the whole way, finishing with a cold beer and zero concern about my time. I loved every mile. The half marathon is where you discover what kind of runner you actually are. Go find out.

Tag your runs with #UnstoppableMile. I want to see every single one. 😊

26.2 Miles. All of Them.

This is a 20-week plan built for people who have completed a half marathon  preferably (minimum of a 10k comfortably) and are ready for the full distance, runners who have tried a marathon before and want to do it smarter this time, and anyone who has a finish line they need to cross for reasons bigger than running.

You know who you are.

Sign up for the weekly training emails and log for a detailed training schedule.

What you need: The right shoes, the right fuel, a support system, and the understanding that training for a marathon will change you. If you are local, start at Toolen's Running Start in Shiloh before week one begins. Your shoes need to be right before the big miles start. Tell them Beth sent you.

Week 1-2: Reset and Rebuild
4 days per week. Three easy runs, 30-40 minutes each. One long run, 45-55 minutes at a fully easy pace. Cross train twice. This block is about building the habit and protecting the body before the real work begins.

Week 3-4: Establish the Long Run
Long run builds to 60-70 minutes. Three supporting runs during the week at easy to moderate effort. One tempo run, 25-30 minutes at comfortably hard effort. Rest seriously on off days.

Week 5-7: Build the Foundation
Long run builds from 75 minutes to 100 minutes over three weeks. Add one mid-week medium long run, 45-55 minutes. Fuel during every long run. Your body cannot do this work without it.

Week 8-10: First Peak Block
Long run reaches 110-120 minutes. One tempo run per week, 35-40 minutes. Two easy recovery runs. One cross training day. One full rest day. Sleep matters as much as miles right now.

Week 11-12: Recovery Block
Pull back intentionally. Long run drops to 75-80 minutes. Easy effort across all runs. Let your body absorb the work. This block feels too easy. That's correct.

Week 13-16: Second Peak Block
The hardest block of the plan. Long runs build from 130 minutes to 160 minutes over four weeks. One of these long runs should include 20-30 minutes at your goal marathon pace. Fuel every 45-60 minutes on long runs. Stay on top of hydration all week.

Week 17-18: Sharpen
Long run holds at 140-150 minutes. Add race-pace miles within the long run. Two moderate mid-week runs. One easy run. One full rest day. Your legs should feel strong and ready.

Week 19: Taper
Everything drops by 40 percent. Two easy 25-minute runs. One 60-minute easy long run. No heroics. The hay is in the barn. Trust it.

Week 20: Race Week
Monday easy 20 minutes. Wednesday easy 15 minutes. Thursday 10-minute shake-out. Friday complete rest. Hydrate all week. Fuel the night before. Sleep as much as you can.

Race day. All 26.2 miles. Every single one of them yours.

Beth's note: I ran my first marathon three weeks after losing my son. Untrained. Underfueled. Running on grief and something I still can't fully name. I crossed that finish line and didn't run another marathon for fifteen years.

Now I'm going back to Tulsa.

If you have a finish line you need to cross, for someone you lost, for the version of yourself you're fighting to become, for any reason at all, this plan will get you there.

The miles will do the rest.

Tag every single run with #UnstoppableMile. Every one.

If I can, anyone can. 🏃‍♀️