None to Run: Beginner, 5K, 10K

I downloaded N2R in January 2025 when I hit a plateau with my health goals. I used the Run Ready plan to get started, which is designed for folks who have not really tried running before and leans into walk/run intervals. In February I started the Beginner Running Plan, which helps build up stamina through those intervals and strength training to get to continuous running over 12 weeks! I did NOT think it would be possible to ever get to running 20 minutes continuously - but was able to achieve that goal by May/June! I moved on to the 5k plan and even though I haven’t finished the training plan yet, I just ran in my first 5k race and performed better than I thought I would! But it’s not only the supportive training ramps; Mark and team have built an incredible community of people who (optionally) check in with each other along the way and remind each other we’ve all physically and mentally experienced what another has. Plus, N2R has a great blog archive to tap into when needing a mental push or to troubleshoot a run. I’ve used the blog posts and articles along the way to debunk myths and to learn a new way my body will respond to running. I’m now at a point where I’m looking to improve my pace and distances and have achieved health goals that I’m super proud of! I would recommend N2R for anyone looking to get into running or even get their body acclimated into a supportive running ramp after injury or time away!

I have wanted to be able to run without feeling like death for pretty much my entire life. Even when I was younger I couldn’t run a mile without stopping to walk. I tried all of the things. For years. In 2018(ish), when this was just a PDF, I remember sitting on my bed using some random interval timer app so I wouldn’t have to keep my eyes on the time. I set out to run. I’d do it for a week, think I knew better, and start running every single day or skipping ahead several weeks. I’d then end up with shin splints and I’d give up. Then try again. Then get pregnant. Try again. Get shin splints. So on and so forth. After recovering from my final baby last year, I finally decided it was time to just do it the right way. I ended up running my first 5k without stopping. I was slow, very slow, but I did it! I turned 37 at the end of 2024 and made it my goal to do an official 5k race every month this year and end the year with a 10k. Right now I’m following the “Run to Race 5k” plan and ran my first 5k of the year last weekend where I shaved off 6 minutes from my best time. Once I finish the current plan I’ll move to the 10k plan. This really does work but you have to stick with it and you have to trust the process. Setbacks might happen but don’t give up! And trust me, this app is WAY better than putting the times into a glitchy interval timer from 2018 haha

In the spring of 2019 my wife and I lost our youngest son to suicide, and then the following November I suffered a brain stem stroke. 2019 was a devastating year. Counselling certainly helped; i grieved (still do), but I was also thankful that I was still able to walk and run. With the exception of some issues with my voice, my body was still fully functional. So, I decided to do something positive. I joined a local gym, with the determination to improve my health. I had signed up to walk a charity 5k that spring, and became inspired to actually try running it. I did a search for some kind of app to help me on this journey, and found N2R. I had no idea it was a new app. I was just glad to find something. N2R was just what I needed. It wasn’t too demanding, and allowed me to progress a little at a time. Because of Covid, the fitness center closed and the 5K was cancelled. But, I decided to keep running. The following November, near the first anniversary of my stroke, I ran my first 5K. Since then, I have run many more 5Ks, a 10K, 2 6Ks, and four half marathons. You don’t have to race to enjoy running; I just consider each completion of a race one more victory and a sign that life does go on after loss. I will never get over the loss of my son, but I like to believe he would be proud of me for working to keep physically, mentally, and spiritually fit. Now, five years later, at the age of 69, I am still running and signed up for my first marathon scheduled May 10, 2025. Thank you, Mark Kennedy, for being a part of my journey to wholeness.