5 Minutes a Day Changed How I Run

In my 10 years of running, I never struggled with consistency in a major way until this past year. Every time I tried to get back into running, I would abandon it quickly. Even my therapist flagged this, as I was someone who was always running and rarely fell off my routine. I couldn’t figure out how to get that consistency spark back for the life of me.

Then, I saw a video on Instagram about running five minutes a day, every day, for about a month. At first, I reacted to this idea as many runners will: writing five-minute runs off as too short to qualify as a “real” run or too meaningless to be worthy of my calendar space.

Small steps build habits, so I took a leap of faith and ran for at least five minutes a day.

But after pausing for a few moments, I remembered something my therapist explained to me: You have to take small, manageable steps to create a habit, even if it’s ridiculously small. Eventually, that offers you a chance to get better.

So I took a small leap of faith by trying something I would normally resist, and I ran at least five minutes a day. A month later, I signed up for a race, and my outlook on running is entirely different from what it was before. Here’s exactly what I learned.

The Biggest Benefits I Noticed From Running 5 Minutes a Day

1. I Ran Longer Than 5 Minutes (Almost) Every Time
On day one, I told myself, “just five minutes,” but I had planned to run longer if I was feeling up for it. After the first five-minute mark, I was happy to stop, as the hills I ran on and the midday heat took more of a toll on me than I realised. But then I took a 30-second walk break and wound up running for 15 more minutes after that.

This became the pattern for most of my runs. After the five-minute mark, I’d have the option of making a quick loop back home, but as long as I had the time (which I usually did), I would stay out on the roads for 10 minutes, then 15, then 20.

There were a couple of days I really didn’t feel like running at all, and I had to force myself onto the treadmill at night and cap it at five minutes. One night, I finished about six minutes on the treadmill but then felt motivated enough to grab a pair of dumbbells nearby and do a couple of lunges, biceps curls, rows, and squats, just to fit in a strength set.

Another day, I forced myself outside. I made it back home after five minutes, but told myself I could just circle the block once more to add two more minutes. By then, I was at about 0.8 miles, so I couldn’t help but keep going to round up to the entire mile, and then finished the final minute or so to hit the 10-minute mark. It was a snowball effect in the best way.

2. I Stopped Thinking Every Run Had to “Count”
As someone who struggles with perfectionism, I often put off my workouts or training plans because I’m trying to find “the right time” to do them, or I want to follow the plan perfectly.

Normally, my brain would follow an “all-or-nothing” mindset, and if I wasn’t going for a run that would contribute to a training goal or make me better, why even go?

But when I was running five minutes a day, the process showed me that even the shortest of runs count, and what mattered most was that I was running at all. I got to experience moments of running around quiet city streets and smiling to myself at 9 p.m., listening to my favourite songs, and those moments made me forget about metrics.

Even though I wasn’t racking up a ton of mileage, I felt strong, free, and happy running again.

3. My Definition of Success Changed
Runners love to see dramatic finish line crossings, shiny new finisher’s medals, and a new PB to show off – and I totally relate. I love seeing results and reflections of how hard I worked. But when I’m nowhere near executing my best performances, running has to be about more than that.

I’ve always turned to running to deal with emotional trauma and stress, and to clear my head, but besides my pace or race accomplishments, I wasn’t sure how else to define success within the sport.

Now, success in running isn’t necessarily measured by whether or not I can break four hours in the marathon. It’s more about whether or not I feel connected and immersed in running, and if it helps me feel more like myself. Running often helps make my days feel more full and meaningful. I haven’t felt so strong about that in a long time, and I certainly never expected a five-minute running challenge to help me realise that again.

Those little “meaningless” bouts of running showed me how I actually respond to the movement itself, and why I fell in love with the sport in the first place.

4. I Started Getting Fitter
Five minutes of running doesn’t sound like nearly enough to boost your endurance or build much of an aerobic base. But as someone who’s getting back to a routine with minimal fitness compared to what I used to be capable of, building the habit actually helped me get fitter and faster at running.

After the first few weeks, I noticed my easy pace was about 20 seconds faster than it was when I first dusted off the cobwebs, and I didn’t feel so winded or tired after the first two miles compared with before I started.

Common Roadblocks and How I Dealt With Them

The Issue: 5 Minutes Sometimes Felt Too Short to Justify Changing Clothes
After the first week or so, when the novelty of the five-minute-a-day challenge started to wear off, I realised how tedious it was to pick out running clothes for a run that would only last five minutes. I mean, sometimes just the act of getting changed for a run takes me five minutes.

My Solution: Care Less
To get past this, I started to just throw on whatever was at the top of my dresser drawer and not think too much about it. Thankfully, running in the summer made this a lot easier, because all I had to think about was a sports bra and a pair of shorts.

After the first few days, I stopped caring about what I was wearing or about picking out “the right running outfit,” because I knew I wouldn’t be outside for very long.

The Issue: 5 Minutes a Day Isn’t Quite Enough Mileage for Base Training
I opted for this challenge during a time when I had told myself to start base training to hopefully run a fall half marathon. If I stuck to the base training, I could sign up and train for a local half in October. However, a small part of me knew this plan, too, would fizzle out again, and I’d delay any real comeback.

Because of this, I’m glad I opted for the five-minute runs instead of base training because it allowed me to focus on the one thing I struggled with the most: consistency. However, I knew I still needed to up my mileage before kicking off a race training plan.

My Solution: Adjust the Plan
Because these five-minute runs were a little shorter, I lowered the weekly mileage slightly in the first few weeks of my half marathon plan to ease myself into it. I also know if I need to jump down to a more beginner-level half marathon plan, I can do that, too.

How I Stuck With Running 5 Minutes a Day

What’s nice about the five-minute window is that it’s pretty accessible to every level of runner. You don’t have to go out at a specific pace or meet a certain mileage. You don’t have to sacrifice too much time on your schedule. You simply go out for five minutes during a commercial break or while you’re waiting for laundry to finish up in the dryer.

But if a daily run seems tough to commit to, here’s how I made it happen, and you can too:

1. Just Start
The old adage rings true: The hardest part of running is just starting to run. I felt like the five-minute runs were ridiculously short and easy, so I didn’t feel like I was signing up for anything too scary or difficult to commit to. Who doesn’t have five minutes at some point in the day?

2. Throw Pace Out the Window
Many running warmups last about five minutes, so there’s no need to feel extensive pressure about whether or not you’re going too fast, too slow, or speeding up. If you’re really letting the run take you where it needs to, those five minutes will fly by.

Some of my five-minute runs happened right before bed, and I’d run along lit sidewalks on my local streets, logging a loop to the centre of town and back. During these runs, I either sped up for a minute at a time, listening to music that brought my runs to life, or cued up two songs (roughly three minutes each) to get me through the duration. (I’m a night owl, though, and I love running at night, so for me, these five-minute runs often turned into 15, 20, or 30.)

3. Make a Subtle Change to Each Run
I absolutely understand the value of running the same loop for the same amount of time during the same time of day. It’s predictable, reliable, and habit-forming. Realistically, though, I know I get bored after the first few days and naturally change a little something about my running routine once I’m sticking to it.

For example, my five-minute runs ranged from running at night with music, logging a quick five-minute treadmill warm-up before a lift at my local gym, or even squeezing exactly five minutes of running right before I was supposed to drive for a few hours to visit a friend. I normally wouldn’t have run before that drive, but I knew five minutes of movement to stretch my legs would do me some good (and help keep me on track with my routine).

This article first appeared on the Runner’s World USA website.

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