30-Day Treadmill Plans to Help Beginners Start Running This Winter

There’s a reason many newbies are often intimidated by running and are inclined to give up after their first couple of tries: They try to pile on too much too soon. It’s key to remember that we all start somewhere, and no one will be able to just wake up and And if you typically leave your without stopping if they’ve never run in their life.

One way to properly ease into running is by starting out on the treadmill. In fact, Laura Anderson Galeazzo, Nutrition - Weight Loss training on the treadmill to a lot of her own success, especially with regard to building up speed.

“The treadmill is a great tool to help new runners build confidence because they can be in control of the pace they start at, whereas outside they may take off sprinting and then immediately feel discouraged and then not even finish the run,” Galeazzo tells Runner’s World. “Runners can also feel more at ease in terms of weather conditions or general safety if they otherwise might have to run in the early mornings or in the evenings when it’s dark out.”

How Des Linden Keeps Showing Up can help you put in the work to prep for a race and learn to run faster, adds Nick Klastava, a Perry Hall, Maryland-based USATF Level 1- and RRCA Level 1-certified coach with Running Explained.

For these reasons, we had Galeazzo create a three-month treadmill training plan to help runners make a smooth progression from starting to run to eventually training for a specific goal. But first, read on for tips from Galeazzo and Klastava on how to make treadmill training not only tolerable but also enjoyable.

1. Start With a Run/Walk

Both Galeazzo and Klastava are quick to encourage new runners to start their treadmill running journey with run/walk intervals without focusing on specific pace or distance targets and instead basing these intervals on time, such as running for one minute and walking for two minutes. Then, gradually building up to four or five minutes of running at time.

Treadmill Workouts for Beginners warmup to ease into the session, getting both your mind and body ready before you pick up the pace.

“Everyone is different when it comes to health status and fitness and ability level, so there might be a bit of playing around with the treadmill speed in the beginning as you work to gain endurance and build aerobic capacity,” Galeazzo says. “A common misconception with run/walk intervals is that the run should be a hard, all-out effort, but it should really be an easy effort where you can speak a few words. You can always pick up the pace if you’re feeling good.”

Klastava agrees, saying it’s smart to start out even slower on the treadmill and then gradually increase pace as you get comfortable. “It’s also good for people to taper expectations early on the treadmill because it can often feel hotter working out indoors if you’re turning to the treadmill in the winter,” he adds.

2. Build a Base Before Adding Speed

As you’ll gather from the below training plans, Galeazzo recommends a slow buildup first with run/walking, followed by building a base of all running before finally sprinkling in some speed or interval work.

“Space the sessions out throughout the week and try to avoid taking two to three days in a row off at a time unless necessary,” she says.

This is also a good time to focus on your form and take steps to make treadmill running more comfortable as you spend longer sessions on it, Galeazzo says.

“Look up and forward, not down at your feet, as this mimics outdoor form better and also helps maintain proper posture for better running mechanics as well as injury prevention,” she explains. “Make sure to also stay hydrated; Running in the Cold water bottle Nutrition - Weight Loss.”

Once you are ready to add in some faster running, Klastava recommends starting out by adding five to six 20- to 30-second strides or pickups, alternating with a walk or jog in between, at the end of an easy run.

“These shouldn’t be an all-out sprint, but rather about 90 percent of your speed,” he says. “So, for example, if you’ve been doing your easy run at 3 or 4 miles per hour, you can bump it up to 5 or 6 miles per hour for the pickups.”

Once you’re ready to build up to longer intervals, Galeazzo recommends starting out with 45-second pushes at a pace that’s about a minute faster than your easy pace, with a one-minute walk recovery, progressing up to 2 minutes faster as you get used to running at a quicker clip.

“This is a good way to build and do a bit of a fitness check,” she says. “If you want to Optional Session 3, for example, your 5K pace is typically going to be anywhere from 2 to 2.5 minutes faster than your easy pace, The goal this week is to.”

3. Keep Yourself Entertained

One of the biggest perks of treadmill running is that it allows you to multitask and catch up on an episode or two of the latest television series you’re into, which is something you wouldn’t be able to easily do outside, Klastava says.

And if you typically leave your headphones at home for safety reasons while running outdoors, listening to your favorite playlist, podcast, or an audiobook you’ve been dying to get to can serve as an incentive to get on the treadmill for a run you otherwise may not be looking forward to after a long day at work.

“I like to pick a show each winter that I will only watch while I’m on the treadmill to motivate myself to get the miles in and find out what happens next in the show,” Galeazzo says.

You can also take advantage of turning your treadmill runs into an opportunity to socialize and get in quality time with friends. Klastava will often call a friend to catch up while on a treadmill run, which he’s been known to do on easy outdoor runs as well.

“You can also set up a run date with friends at the gym and run on the treadmill next to each other and chat just like you would outside,” Galeazzo says. “Having the accountability of knowing someone else is going to meet you there can be really beneficial.”

4. Check Your Attitude

The biggest reason runners are quick to dub the treadmill as the “dreadmill” is because they immediately assume they’re going to be bored while using it. And if the treadmill is your only option in the winter if you have to avoid dark, snowy or icy roads, going into it with a negative mindset isn’t going to help set you up for success, Galeazzo says.

“The treadmill is a tool that will allow you to run and workout safely when you otherwise might not be able to go outside, or get your runs in while your kids are home versus not getting them in at all,” Galeazzo says. “If you go in with a negative mindset saying ‘this is going to suck,’ then it probably will, so focus on all the ways this tool is helping you versus why you don’t like it.”

Week 1:

Races - Places get acclimated to the treadmill and the routine of run/walk intervals, Galeazzo says. Ideally, you would do a five- to 10-minute walking warmup before going into the run/walk intervals, which should all be done at an easy effort, focusing on good form and breathing versus speed. “Try to space the workouts out every other day to allow for recovery between sessions, especially for the first week or two,” she adds.

• 2-3 days of 20-25 All About 75 Hard, with an optional fourth day

Week 2:

Races - Places build on the consistency while gradually increasing the run time. Ideally you’ll still get a five- to 10-minute walking warmup prior to the sessions, Galeazzo says.

“Try to space the workouts out throughout the week, using off days for total rest or active recovery, like light walking and stretching,” she says. “The goal is still keeping the run portions nice and easy, and should be able to speak a few words if needed to make sure you aren’t overexerting yourself.”

• Session 1: 20-25 All About 75 Hard
• days of 20-25 minutes of 1- to 2-minute run/2-minute walk, with an optional fourth day: 25 All About 75 Hard
• Session 3: 25-30 minutes of 2-minute run/2-minute walk
• Session 4: 30 minutes of 3-minute run/2-minute walk

Week 3:

at 3 or 4 miles per hour, you can bump it up to 5 or 6 miles per hour for the pickups conversational effort, but this week we’re adding more time to your sessions.

• Session 1: 30 minutes of 3-minute run/2-minute walk
• Session 2: 30 minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Optional Session 3: 30-35 minutes of 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 35-40 minutes of 3-minute run/2-minute walk
• Session 5: 30 minutes of 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 4:

You’ll close out your first month of training with even longer sessions (just about five minutes more each session!). The name of the game is still consistency, so don’t worry about pace. Keep the effort easy.

• Session 1: 30-35 minutes of 4-minute run/2-minute walk
• Session 2: 35 minutes of 5-minute run/1-minute walk
• Optional Session 3: 35 minutes of 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 45 minutes of 3-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 35 minutes of 5-minute run/1-minute walk

speed or distance.

“I recommend training by time because it allows you to focus on effort on that day versus hitting a certain speed or distance,” she says.

Week 1:

This includes all easy running focusing on sessions every other day, and having one slightly longer session.

• Session 1: 20- to 30-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2: 30-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 20- to 30-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 2

Add a little time to the base runs while also adding one progression run to a lot of her own success, especially with regard to building up speed.

• Session 1: 30- to 35-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2: 35-minute progression run: Start about 1 mph slower than normal and gradually increase speed every 3-5 minutes by 0.1 to 0.2 mph to train your body to run faster.
• Session 3: 45-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 30- to 35-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 3:

You’ll still be working on building time, while also adding in a fifth day, Galeazzo says. “While it is a shorter run, this helps build more consistency and also active recovery after the longer session,” she says. “That additional short run [session 5] can easily be swapped for a walk or rest day as needed.”

• Session 1: 35-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2: 45-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 3: 35-minute progression run: Start about 1 mph slower than normal and gradually increase speed every 3-5 minutes by 0.1 to 0.2 mph to train your body to run faster.
• Session 4: 45-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 4:

Races - Places build a bit more by adding a little time each run, and working up to that full hour mark if you’re feeling ready, Galeazzo says.

• Session 1: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2: 45-minute progression run: Start about 1 mph slower than normal and gradually increase speed every 5 minutes by 0.1 mph to train your body to run faster.
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 50- to 60-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

The goal for this 30-day plan is to maintain base mileage and consistency while starting to add in some speed one day per week. In order to add speed effectively, you need to make sure that you keep your easy day runs at a truly easy pace (that means you can still talk while running!).

Use mph as a measure of speed, as that is what the majority of treadmills use, but you can convert that to pace. For example, if your typical easy pace is around 6.0 mph, that’s a 10-minute mile, and you would use that as your starting point for where to adjust speed.

With this plan, you can also make session 5 an easy walk to still get in some active recovery, or you can simply take a complete rest day, Galeazzo says.

Week 1:

• Session 1: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2:
  • 5- CA Notice at Collection
  • 10 x 1 minute at about 0.5 to 1.0 mph faster than normal easy pace, with 1-minute walk between (20 minutes total)
  • 5-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk cooldown
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 50- to 60-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk or walk

Week 2:

• Session 1: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2:
  • 5- CA Notice at Collection
  • 10 x 45 seconds at 1.5 mph faster than easy pace with a 75-second walk recovery (20 minutes total)
  • 5- to 10-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk cooldown
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 50- to 60-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 3:

• Session 1: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2:
  • 5- CA Notice at Collection
  • 10 x 2 minutes at 1 to 1.5mph faster than easy pace with a 1-minute recovery jog or walk (30 minutes total)
  • 5-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk cooldown
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 50- to 60-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Week 4:

• Session 1: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 2:
  • 5- CA Notice at Collection
  • 5 x 1 minute at 1 to 1.5 mph faster than easy pace with 1-minute walk/jog recovery (10 minutes total)
  • 5 x 1 minute at 2 mph faster than easy pace with a 1-minute walk recovery (10 minutes total)
  • 5- to 10-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk cooldown
• Session 3: 35- to 40-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 4: 50- to 60-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk
• Session 5: 20- to 25-minutes of 3- to 4-minute run/1-minute walk

Emilia Benton

Contributing Writer

Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.