Week 3 introduces the three-minute run. After a five-minute warmup walk, the session goes 90 seconds running, 90 seconds walking, three minutes running, three minutes walking — then repeats that sequence once more, ending on the second long run before the five-minute cooldown. At 25:00 it’s the shortest session of the program so far.
The week is three outings of this timer with rest days between, and three minutes is the first interval long enough that pacing genuinely matters: go out gently on each long run and aim to finish it, not race it. By the third outing the long blocks should feel less intimidating — exactly the adaptation week 4 needs, when they stretch to five minutes.
Running intervals get a little longer: six 90-second runs with two-minute walks, run three times this week with rest days between. Keep a steady pace — there’s no need to rush.
Substantially longer running intervals: three minutes, then five, twice through with walking recoveries. Run it three times this week with rest days between — endurance builds progressively.