One minute of slow running, a minute and a half of walking, repeated. Running Made Clear is the visual guide that starts you there and shows you the way, one step at a time, to 30 minutes without stopping and your first 5K or 10K. Easier than you think.
19 USD launch price · PDF · 30-day refund · free updates
Get the book - 19 USD
You've thought about it for a while. Maybe it was a doctor's comment, a flight of stairs that felt longer than it used to, or just a long winter at a desk. You've even tried once. You ran to the end of the street, your lungs burned, your face went red, and a small voice said some people just aren't built for this.
Then the internet made it worse. One video says run every day, the next says you need a coach, a watch and a plan before you start. Your uncle says it will wreck your knees. A forum says anything over 30 minutes for 5K is a jog. Your shins ache in week three and you can't tell whether to rest, run or give up.
None of that means you're not built for it. On a first run almost everyone sets off too fast, and then there's nobody to say what to do next. What was missing was a slower start and a route.
Why this book is different
You can find an answer to every running question for free. What you can't find for free is the order, or a way to tell which answer to trust. Running Made Clear turns your first months into one race on a stadium. You start at the start line, run four laps and cross a finish line at your first 5K or 10K, while the medical tent and the kit bag wait in the infield whenever you need them.
Inside the book
| Start line | Is it worth it, the knees question, starting heavier, older or after years off, a two-minute health check, what to buy now and what can wait, a first goal |
|---|---|
| Lap 1 · First steps | Your first session minute by minute, a five-minute warm-up, how hard it should feel, why the first ten minutes feel awful, how many days a week |
| Lap 2 · The habit | Making it stick even if you hate running, sore or injured, sleep, what to wear in any weather, eating around a run, should I run today |
| Lap 3 · Getting stronger | Easy runs and the 80/20 rule, heart rate and zone 2, how fast to build up, strength in 15 minutes, running form |
| Lap 4 · Beyond the first 30 minutes | New kinds of runs and a little speed, choosing a plan or an app, running and weight, kit upgrades, mood, clubs and boredom |
| Finish line | Your first 5K or 10K. Is a 30-minute 5K slow, choosing an event, the plans, the week before, event day and what comes next |
| Medical tent | Red flags, heat, heart and lungs, where does it hurt, shins, stitches, blisters, colds and coming back after a break |
| Kit bag | The five tool cards, the ladder and the 5K and 10K plans to print, checklists, a pace chart and a question finder |
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What you get
The author
Don't take our word for it
Every research finding and health guideline in the book has a numbered source in the list at the back, about 290 in all. Sources were chosen in this order - systematic reviews and meta-analyses first, then position statements and guidelines from medical and sports bodies, then single studies and established coaching books. Blog posts appear only for practical topics such as kit care and race logistics.
Where the research is mixed or thin, the page says so. Claims carry a How sure we are mark - Mostly true, Mixed, Mostly false or False - and a number that comes from practice rather than research carries the RULE OF THUMB mark.
Each section was checked in separate passes for facts, safety wording, language, layout and consistency, apart from the writing. The safety advice follows the same urgency levels everywhere.
If you find a mistake, write to hello@runningmadeclear.com. Corrections go into the next free update and onto the dated changelog.
See for yourself, free
Two full sections, the one on knees and the one on why the first ten minutes feel awful. Plus how the book works, the effort card to print for your first run, and the contents of the whole book. Tell us where to send the PDF.
The offer
Running Made Clear · 269-page visual PDF · five tools with printable cards · run-walk ladder, 5K and 10K plans · free updates
19 USD launch price
Pay once and it's yours. No subscription.
Get the book - 19 USDSecure checkout by Payhip. [payment methods enabled in Payhip]. [VAT included / plus VAT where it applies].
30-day refund, no questions. Read it. Try the first sessions. If the book isn't for you, email hello@runningmadeclear.com within 30 days of buying and you get your money back. You don't have to explain or prove anything.
Questions
Yes, that's who it's written for. Your first session is mostly walking, and the section for people who are heavier, older or starting again says to start lower than you think and stay on each rung longer. If brisk walking for 30 minutes is still hard, the book says walk first and run later.
It depends on you, and the book is built that way. The ladder to 30 minutes has ten rungs, each about a week of three sessions if all goes well. From there a six-week plan leads to a first 5K, and an eight-week plan leads from a comfortable 5K to a first 10K. You move up when a rung feels easy, not when the calendar says so.
For recreational runners, the research finds no extra knee arthritis. The book explains what that research can and can't show, and how to build up gradually so your knees get used to the new work. If a knee aches, the pain traffic light helps you decide whether to run, run less or stop.
No. The book has a section for people starting later or again, on the same ladder with more patience. It also asks you to do a two-minute health check before your first run and tells you when to talk to a doctor first.
Then you're normal. In a large analysis of US road 5Ks in 2024, the median finish was about 36 minutes, so a 30-minute 5K beats the typical finisher there. The book shows the numbers and suggests comparing yourself with your own last run instead.
The book starts you on three days a week, never two in a row, with the days in between for rest or something gentle. Its week log helps you plan the days before the week begins.
Not to start. A phone with a free run-walk app, or a plain stopwatch, is enough for the first plans, and your voice is the effort meter. The book explains when a watch helps and how far to trust it.
Keep the plan. It tells you what to run. The book covers what a plan leaves out - how hard to go, what to wear, what an ache means and what to do when a week goes wrong. It also shows how to judge any plan in about two minutes, and it has its own ladder and 5K and 10K plans if you'd rather use those.
No. It's general information for adults who are generally healthy, including people who are heavier, older or returning after a break. It doesn't replace a doctor or physiotherapist who can examine you. The book opens with a two-minute health check and has a Medical tent with clear signs for when to stop and get help.
A PDF you download right after checkout, made to read on a phone, tablet or computer. The Kit bag cards and plans are made to print. Your copy carries your purchase details, and updates come free by email.
You don't need to be a runner to start. You need comfortable shoes, about 30 minutes, and a route that tells you what to do today and what to do when something aches.
19 USD launch price · 30-day refund · free updates
Get the book - 19 USDP.S. The first session in the book is one minute of slow running and a minute and a half of walking, about eight times. If that sounds almost too easy, it's meant to.