The Beginner Runner Village Method Sets You Up for Success
Are you ready to start your journey to become a runner? My proven, simple method will get you across that finish line. No, I’m not referring to a race, although it will get you there, too, if that’s your goal. No, I’m referring to becoming a lifelong runner, that person who gets up, thinks about the day ahead and sees her run as one of the best parts of that day, something to look forward to doing.
This is the first of eight daily posts, each covering a key step. By day eight, you’ll know exactly how to start—and most importantly, you’ll have the confidence you may not feel today.
Deb Voiles, Coach at Beginner Runner Village
I’m Deb Voiles, coach at the Beginner Runner Village, and I’m here to guide you through the beginner phase—the part that stops most people. I fully get where you are. While I’ve been running 48 years - you read that right - ever since I struggled to lose the baby weight after Wendy was born - but I was not a runner in college, was never an elite runner or anything close. I hated running when we had to do it in school, dreaded it, in fact.
But when I was motivated to lose that weight, I figured out how to do it, and it has led to all these years of running and coaching. I can easily share my method with you as I’ve done with thousands of others.
Most Beginners Push too Hard
It starts here: Many new runners - most new runners - push too hard, get injured, or feel miserable and quit. I’ll show you how to avoid all that.
What most people don’t realize is that the hardest part is finding the courage to begin.
As John Bingham said, “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” My job is to give you the tools, structure, and support to start with confidence and succeed.
The key is simple: start at the right intensity, progress slowly, and set realistic goals.
I want to emphasize that. Have you ever thought about how critical it is to start at the right place?
Think about it. If a kindergartner wanted to read The Great Gatsby or To Kill a Mockingbird, that would not be possible because a kindergartner is just learning to recognize letters and maybe read the first words and cannot possibly move on to books or even paragraphs until they can read sentences. Right? Everybody knows that.
And so it is with running. The difference between walk/running your first quarter mile and being able to string together several miles is the difference between kindergarten skills and high school, but most beginner runner programs do not take this into account.
Two Critical but Common Beginner Mistakes
They use a schedule that starts them with too much running, and they move you along too quickly.
They also operate under the philosophy that everyone is equal in fitness, health, and goals, and therefore, should all start with the same amount of running and progress at the same rate.
Excuse me, but that’s just nuts.
In order to succeed, you need to start with the duration of running between walking segments that is appropriate for your current personal fitness level. That is critical!
Another typical problem is that the schedules progress too quickly. Success is dependent on you proceeding at the appropriate pace for you, not just what your body is capable of, but also what your mental state enjoys. That’s right; you must enjoy the process in order to succeed, but most programs expect you to move on to a different, more demanding schedule each week.
I say only move up when you want to, when you’re comfortable with what you’ve been doing and want to take on more.
Another point is that some people ‘are’ already fit and will be frustrated because Week 1 feels easy.
Think about it; there’s a world of difference between these three:
One, a woman in her 30’s who’s been in good condition in the past, grew up playing soccer, but hasn’t done any exercise in the 2 years since her baby was born and 2. A woman in her 40’s who’s never exercised, regularly, and 3. A man in his 50’s who has been sedentary for ten years and realizes he better get fit if he wants to continue his quality of life, and 4. The woman in her 60’s who has never done any running but finally has the time and is excited to give it a try.
That’s just four examples, but the reality is that the physical condition, health, ability, and goals for runners are infinite; so, let’s not pigeonhole anyone into a Start with Week 1 and move to the next week each week program.
Start at the Right Level for You and Progress at the Right Pace for You
With my system you, one, start at the right place in the walk/run continuum for you based on my diagnostic test, and two, you never move on to the next week until the last week feels totally comfortable.
This ensures success because you feel accomplished at the end of each workout, looking forward to the next workout because you decide when to move up to the next level; that means you will be moving through the schedule at a rate that is personally customized to you.
There’s no race to see how fast you can become a runner.
Who cares if it takes six months for you to be able to finish a 5K? The important thing is to continually get healthier and to build momentum in your journey to becoming more fit and locking in to the running way of life.
It comes down to this: Baby steps are just that, baby steps, but they are still forward movement, and that is the key. Start with baby steps. Build confidence, and I need to mention this: Starting at a super easy point and progressing gradually is the best way to avoid injury, which is what causes many beginners to give up.
What you mustn’t do is stand still. Have you been standing still?
Addressing Common Obstacles
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be releasing a podcast episode every few days, each one covering a topic that is a common obstacle for most beginner runners. Depending on when you read this, they may all be out, but as I write this, it is December, 2025.
Working With Me
Now, you don’t need a coach to get started, but it does help – a lot. So, I want you to know that I am starting a fully online 12-week beginner program starting January 5th, 2026.
If you read this after that date, still reach out because, of course, I’ll have other classes starting later. If you want to hear about it, learn what you’ll get, go to BeginnerRunner.com. Here’s a hint: It includes a beginner dinner, every Wednesday night. That’s what I call our weekly zoom call. No food involved, although you’re welcome to eat while we chat, but you will leave feeling well fed, nourished by the helpful information and time spent with friends on the same running journey.
If you’re unsure whether you want to work with me, listen to the podcasts to get an idea of my philosophy. My specialty is working with people at the very cusp of running their first steps, a point that precedes where most beginner programs start.
That’s just one way my program is different and why it works so well. Other programs assume a higher level of fitness from Day 1, and that means the new runner is facing an uphill battle from the start.
Set Yourself Up for Success
When you start at the appropriate duration of walking alternated with running and stop, each day, when you’re still feeling good, you are setting yourself up for success.
Running becomes enjoyable, sustainable, and something you look forward to. You’ll get stronger, feel better, and see a new version of yourself almost immediately.
Here’s what the ten posts will cover:
1. Confidence
2. The Secrets
3. Form Part 1: The Basics
4. The Magic: Cadence
5. Overcoming the biggest challenges
6. Avoiding injuries
7. Breathing
8. Diagnostic Test
To learn more and to have a document you can save and continue to refer to, go to BeginnerRunner.com to get my 10-day Quick Start Plan. It includes what I’ve covered in these 8 posts and a bit more, plus links to helpful resources.