Two runners can search for a base-building plan and want different things. One can't yet run 30 minutes without stopping. The other runs a few days a week and wants more miles before the next race plan. The plans here split along that line, so start by finding your side of it.
If you're starting from walking. Three plans take you from walk breaks to 30 minutes of nonstop running: Runner's World's Run Nonstop in 7 weeks, its 12-Stage Beginner Run Plan in 12, and Jack Daniels' White plan in 16. Hal Higdon's Base Training: Novice starts a step later, for someone who can already cover a few miles, and carries them to a 6-mile long run. John Honerkamp's Run for Life plans are written for runners over 40, 50 and 60 who are starting again. Read their reviews closely, since some climb faster than their intros suggest.
If you already run. The Buena Vida base plans start from the week you have now, anywhere from about 10 to 40 miles, and spend 12 or 16 weeks raising it. Choose by week 1, not by the peak, because a plan should start at the mileage you already handle. Daniels' Red, Blue and Gold plans add 2 hard sessions a week, for runners who want real workouts without a race.
What good base building looks like. Nearly all of it is easy, because easy running is the base that carries harder training. The miles climb in steps, and every few weeks a lighter week lets your body absorb what came before. Many of the reviewed plans here lose points in the same places: no lighter week at all, and strength work the author recommends never making the calendar.
Won't more miles get me hurt? It's a fair worry, and the answer surprises many runners. Higher weekly mileage, built up gradually, is linked to fewer injuries, not more. What hurts is the jump, since sharp rises in weekly running raise injury risk. Your breathing will feel ready for more before your legs are, because tendon and bone take weeks to months to catch up. If you've been hurt recently, talk to your doctor or physical therapist first, and look at the return-to-running plans.
It will feel almost too easy. You run at a pace you can talk at while the miles add up. That is the work. Every Buena Vida base plan ends on a lighter week rather than its biggest, so your next plan starts on fresh legs.
If none of these fits your week, Buena Vida can get you a personal base-building plan set to your schedule and pace. Try it free for 7 days.
No plans match. Try another level or a different number of run days.
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Buena Vida is a running app that puts training plans, workout tracking and daily nutrition in one place. Tell it your race, your fitness and the days you can run, and you'll get a personal plan set to your schedule and pace, with coaching on every run and food targets that keep up with your training.
Try it free for 7 days. After that, it's $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, and you can cancel anytime.