The first week closes with its longest session. Day 7 is 5 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, 3 sets in total - a 30-minute session with 15 minutes of running inside it. Five minutes is more than double the longest run interval so far, which is why the walk that follows is just as long: the program gives you a big piece of running and then a full recovery to match.
This is the shape every week will take: three days of short intervals, then one longer day that asks for more time on your feet. The 5-minute run is a different experience from 2-minute pieces. There is time for the first rush of effort to pass, for breathing to settle into a pattern, and for your pace to find a level it can genuinely sustain. The 5-minute walk then brings everything back to baseline so the second and third runs start fresh. Total time on your feet matters as much as running time at this stage - 30 minutes of continuous movement is its own adaptation.
Start the first run noticeably slower than feels natural; 5 minutes is long enough to punish early enthusiasm. Settle into a rhythm where breathing is steady and your stride is short and light. Use the long walks properly - keep moving, keep the arms swinging, and resist the urge to stop and stand. If the final run is the hardest of the three, that is the session working as intended.
Fifteen minutes of running in a single session, one week in - the first number worth remembering.
Make it Harder: Walk the first 2 minutes of each break briskly and the last 3 at an easy pace, shortening the true recovery.
Make it Easier: Split each 5-minute run into 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking, then take the 5-minute walk as written.
