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I'm pretty fit, but I train for strength, not stamina. I'm and intermediate-advanced lifter, I've been training for years and I can bench 115kg but I can struggle to hit 30 pushups because my endurance is awful. I want to start running to improve my CV strength I was wondering what an ideal starting point would be for a novice runner like myself. I like to plan my route jn advance so I would be useful to know how far.

I know this may seem like a stupid question but I know nothing about running. I don't know whether I should be starting with 0.5 mile or 3 miles or somewhere in between. Some advice would be much appreciated.

Update: just did 1.6mi in 14 mins. Is that good bad or average?

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A 5k race plan is an excellent place to start, something like Hal Higdon's beginner 5k would suite you excellently since you can do 1.5 miles. Your strength training will do you well in protecting your joints while running, and strength training can actually increase running speed by a good margin.

1.6 miles at a below 9 minute a mile pace is great for never running before. Was that a "as fast as I can" or easy jog? Most of your runs can feel painful initially but as you learn you'll want to have most runs feels relaxed.

Since you're in good shape I would advise you stick to any beginner plan initially. It can be easy to overload your self initially and you want to grow your weekly mileage total slowly.

If you finish the 5k one move on to 10k, or half marathons. Hal's is quite accessible and covers the basics.

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  • Are there any good apps or websites out there for planning a route. At the moment I'm just dropping pins on Google maps and ending it at home and adjusting it until it equals 1.5mi or whatever distance I'm going for. A proper route planner would be very useful.
    – Ethan
    Jul 7 at 10:40
  • Strava has routes and segments, and is fantastic for running and tracking your goals. Use its map to find one that works for you. Also, if you use your phone to track your distance while running you can just run half the distance away from your house then run back and you're done. No planning needed if you have a pedestrian trail by you.
    – joeyfb
    Jul 7 at 13:29
  • mapmyrun (.com) has a 'create route' function. It's got a few quirks (you have to turn off 'follow roads/paths' if you try and route through a section that doesn't have a sidewalk), but it's pretty straightforward. Sadly, I think you have to register to use it.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Jul 15 at 14:11

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