30-Day Running Challenge with a Friend

What it is

The challenge: go for a run three times a week for 30 days. Any distance and any pace, and walk breaks are allowed. Three runs a week is enough to build the habit and leaves a recovery day between runs, which matters more than distance when you're starting out.

A running buddy is the classic way to get out of the door, but you don't have to run together. Each of you checks in after your run, and seeing your partner's check-in on a cold morning is a strong reason to lace up.

Thirty days is about 13 runs, enough to go from “I'm not a runner” to having a route you know.

How to do it

1. Pick your three run days at the start of each week and tell your partner.
2. If you're new, start with run-walk intervals: a minute running, a minute walking.
3. Check in after each run. Any run counts, however short.
4. Don't run two days in a row for the first weeks. Recovery is part of the plan.

Day by day

1. Days 1–3

   Set it up

   Pick the days, the route and the time, and get the first run done within three days, however short. Tell your partner how it felt.

2. Days 4–10

   The novelty wears off

   New runners feel it in their legs and lungs. Keep the pace easy enough to talk. If you're out of breath, walk. It still counts.

3. Days 11–24

   The long middle

   Runs start to feel routine, and the weather and the week start to win. Move a missed run to another day that week instead of dropping it, and tell your partner.

4. Days 25–30

   The finish line

   Pick the three days you'll keep running after the challenge. Some partners sign up for a local fun run together to give the next month a target.

Where people quit, and how a partner helps

• The first hard run

  An early run that feels awful convinces people they're not runners. Slow down, add walk breaks and tell your partner. A bad run you finished still counts.

• Too much, too soon

  Running every day or adding distance fast is how new runners get hurt. Three easy runs a week is the challenge, and your partner keeps you to it.

• The weather

  Rain, cold and dark mornings cancel more runs than anything else. Agree on a fallback with your partner: a treadmill, a shorter loop or a different time of day.

Your 30-day tracker

Print this page, or tick the boxes here. Ticks are saved in this browser only. In the app, you and your partner see each other's check-ins as they happen. Aim for 3 ticks a week.

How to start it in the app

1. Create your free account, then install Friends with Habits from Google Play and sign in.
2. Tap New Pact and pick “Go for a run” under Movement & Exercise.
3. Keep the schedule the template suggests: 3 days a week.
4. Invite your friend by link, text or email. Once they accept, you both check in each day and see each other's progress.
5. A pact in the app runs 30 days, so this whole challenge is one pact.

Questions