First 5k
For new runners and people coming back. Run and walk sessions three times a week that build towards running the whole distance.
8 weeksfrom $59
A plan for your distance, built around your real week
Stride Theory writes running plans from a first 5k to the marathon, coaches two group sessions a week and films gait checks on the track. Every plan starts from what you run now, and it changes when work, family or a tight calf get in the way.
5k to 42kplans for every distance
Tue and Sattrack night and long run
Every Sundayplans adjusted from your notes
Plans by distance, from the first 5k up
Each plan is written for one runner and one target distance, then adjusted from the notes they send back. The lengths below are typical starting points, never fixed.
Faster 10k
For runners who already cover 10 km and want sharper weeks: one interval day, one tempo run and an easy long run.
10 weeksfrom $79
Half marathon
Four or five runs a week, a long run that grows gradually and two short strength sessions to keep the legs sturdy.
12 weeksfrom $99
Marathon
A long build with a taper, fuelling practice on the long runs and a race pace plan written two weeks out.
16 weeksfrom $149
Week seven of a twelve week half marathon plan
This is one week for a runner who trains five days out of seven. Effort is described by how talking feels rather than by pace, because pace shifts with heat, hills and sleep.
| Day | Session | How it should feel |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest, or a gentle walk | Legs recovering from the weekend |
| Tuesday | Track group: 6 reps of 800 m, 2 minutes of jogging between | Talking in short phrases only |
| Wednesday | Easy 40 minutes, then 15 minutes of strength work | Full sentences all the way round |
| Thursday | Hills loop with 8 climbs of about 60 seconds | Hard going up, easy jogging down |
| Friday | Rest | Nothing to prove today |
| Saturday | Group long run, 16 km | Chatty from start to finish |
| Sunday | Optional easy 25 minutes | Only if the legs feel fresh |
No two runners get the same week. Plans are reshaped each Sunday from your notes on sleep, soreness and whatever the week threw at you.
Gait checks: filmed, slowed down, explained
A gait check is forty five minutes on the track with a camera at the side and one behind. We film you at an easy pace and at effort, slow the footage down together and look at posture, arm swing, cadence and how each foot meets the ground.
It is a coaching tool, not a medical assessment. If what you describe sounds like an injury, such as pain that changes how you run or swelling that does not settle, we suggest a physiotherapist or a doctor before any drills.
- Side and rear footage, shared with you afterwards
- Two or three drills chosen for your stride
- A plain note on what to look for when trying shoes
- No brand pushed and nothing sold on the day
Four ways to train with Stride Theory
Every runner starts with a short call about their running now, the distance they are aiming for and the weeks they can spare. Then pick the support that suits the build.
Written plan
from$59
- One plan for one target distance
- Written after a first call
- Two check ins to adjust it
Monthly coaching
a month$95
- Plan reshaped every Sunday from your notes
- Messages answered within a working day
- A call each month and before race week
Gait check
from$65
- Filmed from the side and behind
- Footage reviewed together
- Drills to take away
Group session
from$12
- Track intervals or the long run
- Pace groups, so nobody runs alone
- Part of monthly coaching
Every booking is confirmed by a coach before it counts. Fees are agreed and paid directly with Stride Theory, and monthly coaching can stop at the end of any month.
The last fortnight before race day
Race preparation follows the same order for every distance, scaled to the race. Most of it is about doing less, calmly.
Two weeks out
Weekly running drops by about a third while a little speed stays in. The pace plan for the race is written and agreed.
Race week
Short easy runs, kit and shoes already tested on long runs, and breakfast rehearsed at the time of the start.
Two days before
A short shakeout with a few strides, the bag packed, and the start area found on the course map.
Race morning
Start slower than feels right for the first kilometres, follow the pace plan and drink as rehearsed.
Tuesday track, Saturday long run
Group sessions run on a local athletics track on Tuesday evenings and from the park gates on Saturday mornings. Runners are split into pace groups so nobody is left at the back, and a coach runs or cycles beside the long run.
The groups suit runners on a written plan, on monthly coaching or on neither. A first session needs only a request, so the coach can hold a place in the right pace group.
- Tuesday 18:30 track intervals, about an hour
- Saturday 08:00 long run, one to two hours
- Pace groups from about 7 minutes per km down to 4
- Head torches and reflective layers in winter
Track nights and long runs
A normal fortnight of coaching: two track evenings, a filmed gait check, hills, strength work and the Saturday run.
From runners on a plan (example reviews)
Started with run and walk sessions and a lot of doubt. The plan moved twice when work got busy, and the first unbroken 5k came a week later than written, which nobody minded.
The slowed footage was eye opening. Two drills and one cue about arm swing, and the coach was clear that the sore shin needed a physio before anything else.
Sixteen weeks of monthly coaching for a marathon build. The Sunday updates took the guessing out, and the race week list made the morning calm.
Asked at the side of the track
Is a plan worth it for a first 5k?
It helps most when starting feels hard. A plan sets out run and walk sessions so the distance builds gradually, and it bends when life gets busy. Plenty of people finish a first 5k without one; a plan simply takes the guessing out.
Will a gait check say which shoes to buy?
No. Stride Theory sells no shoes and recommends no brands. The footage shows how you land and move, and you leave with a short list of things to try and to ask about in a running shop.
What happens if an injury turns up halfway through a plan?
Stop the hard sessions and tell us. We pause or reshape the plan, but we do not diagnose injuries: pain that changes how you run, swelling or pain at rest needs a physiotherapist or a doctor. Chest pain or sudden breathlessness needs your local emergency number.
Are the group sessions only for fast runners?
No. Pace groups run from about seven minutes per kilometre down to four, and on Saturdays a coach stays with the slowest group for the whole run.
Can a plan be built for one particular race?
Yes. Send the date, the distance and the kind of course, whether flat, hilly or on trails, and the plan is built backwards from that day. Race entries and places are up to you.
How does booking work?
Send a request for a call, a gait check or a group session with a day and a time. A coach confirms it within one working day or offers another slot, and fees are paid directly to Stride Theory.
Request a call, a gait check or a run
Tell us what you would like to book, the distance you are working towards and when suits you. Within one working day a coach comes back with a confirmed slot or a better suggestion.
- Gait checks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings
- Plan calls take about 20 minutes
- Fees are agreed directly with Stride Theory
Get hold of the coach
Messages are read every weekday morning and evening. During sessions the phone stays in the kit bag.
Contact Stride Theory
Track nights at a local athletics track; long runs leave from the park gates
Coaching hours
| Tuesday track | 18:30 to 19:30 |
| Saturday long run | From 08:00 |
| Gait checks | Tue, Thu, Sat |
| Messages | Weekdays 8 to 8 |
Coaching a club or a workplace?
Running clubs and workplace groups can book a coached track evening or a talk on preparing for race week. Ask with a rough date and numbers.
Ask about group coaching