Hotter track · 100 day challenge

Steps 100: Couch to 5K: A 100 day Couch to 5K challenge

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Steps 100 takes you from the sofa to five kilometres in a hundred days. Each day names the exact plan: walk, run or rest, and rest days count as sessions because that's when your legs get stronger. You start on Day 1 with your first walk and your log, then learn two leg strength moves, the talk test, a two minute warm up and how to stand tall while you walk.

Daily workload: 3 daily goalsDaily core: Do today's walk, run or recovery
Difficulty: Steady

Example: a sample day

Day 1: what a day looks like

Daily core Walk 20 minutes with a brisk middle Today's version of the daily core
Task 2 Learn easy versus brisk walking
Task 3 Start your Steps 100 log

Need a lighter day? Can't fit it in today? Use a Rest Day: your streak is kept and the day waits for you.

Free preview

Preview the first 7 days

Every day has 3 goals: your daily core (the same every day), Task 2 and Task 3, each with a short why. Open a day to read all three.

- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Walk 20 minutes with a brisk middle
  Walk 20 minutes: 5 easy, 10 brisk, 5 easy. Step out your front door in comfortable sneakers and stay on sidewalks or paths. Brisk means breathing harder while still able to talk.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn easy versus brisk walking
  Read the cue: easy means you could chat; brisk means breathing harder but still able to talk in short sentences. Write both in your log before today's walk.
  Why: Knowing the two paces lets you follow every session in the plan.
- Task 3
  Start your Steps 100 log
  Start a note called Steps 100 log. After today's walk, write the date, the session, a 1 to 5 rating and one line on why you started.
  Why: A log gives you a record of every session to look back on.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Do two leg strength moves
  Rest day, no running. Do 2 rounds of 8 slow sit to stands from a sturdy chair and 10 heel raises holding a wall, resting a minute between rounds.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn sit to stand and heel raise form
  Read the cues: sit to stand with feet flat, lean forward and lower slowly; heel raises holding a wall, rise and lower smoothly. Write both cues in your log before today's leg moves.
  Why: Good form makes these simple moves build the legs you will jog on.
- Task 3
  Check your sneakers
  Look for worn soles, a heel that slips or laces that pinch, and pick your best pair. Nothing new is needed.
  Why: Comfortable shoes make every session easier on your feet.
Take care: Hold the wall or a sturdy chair for balance. Stop if you feel pain, not just effort.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Walk 22 minutes with a brisk middle
  Walk 22 minutes: 5 easy, 12 brisk, 5 easy. Use the talk test during the brisk part.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn the talk test
  While you walk brisk, say a full sentence out loud. If you can talk but not sing, you are at the right effort. Write the talk test in your log; you will use it on every session from now on.
  Why: The talk test is a free pace coach you carry everywhere, and it keeps you from going too hard.
- Task 3
  Set a reminder for your next session
  Set a phone reminder or write the day and time of your next session in your log.
  Why: A reminder takes the guesswork out of when you head out next.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Practice the warm up and bird dogs
  Rest day, no running. Do the two minute warm up twice: 10 leg swings each side holding a wall, 10 ankle circles each way and 20 seconds of marching in place. Then 2 rounds of 6 bird dogs per side on hands and knees.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn a two minute warm up
  Read the warm up you will use before every session: 10 leg swings each side holding a wall, 10 ankle circles each way and 20 seconds of marching in place. Write it in your log.
  Why: Warm muscles move better, and the first minutes of every session feel less of a shock.
- Task 3
  Plan your sessions for this week
  Write the days you will walk this week in your log, with a rest day after each.
  Why: A plan written ahead makes it easier to keep your days.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Walk 25 minutes with a brisk middle
  Start with your two minute warm up, then walk 25 minutes: 5 easy, 15 brisk, 5 easy.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Stand tall while you walk
  Read the cue: walk as if a string lifts the top of your head, eyes ahead, shoulders down and soft, arms swinging easy. Check it every 5 minutes on today's walk.
  Why: Tall posture lets you breathe deeper, and it is the same posture you will run with later.
- Task 3
  Write your posture note
  After the walk, write in your log whether tall posture felt easy and when it slipped.
  Why: A note shows what to watch on the next walk.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Walk a safe 15 minute loop
  Find a flat loop near home with sidewalks or a path and good light, about 10 to 15 minutes around. Walk it at a chatty pace for 15 minutes and save where it starts and ends in your log. This loop is your route for the sessions ahead.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn road safety for your route
  Read the rules: use sidewalks and paths; where there is none, face oncoming traffic, cross at crossings and keep one ear free of headphones. Write them in your log before today's walk.
  Why: Clear safety rules mean you can relax on every session.
- Task 3
  Write three things you saw on your loop
  In your log or Journal, write three things you noticed on your new loop.
  Why: Noticing your route makes it feel friendly and familiar.
Take care: Use sidewalks and paths. Where there is none, face oncoming traffic, cross at crossings and keep one ear free of headphones.
- Daily core Today's version of the daily core
  Rest or stretch gently
  Rest day, no running. Rest, or do a gentle 5 minute stretch before bed: calves, thighs and a slow knee hug.
  Why: A planned walk, run or recovery each day builds running gradually while your body gets time to adapt.
- Task 2
  Learn why rest days come between runs
  Read the Running rules in the pack guide. Write one line in your log on why a full day without running sits between runs.
  Why: Knowing why rest matters makes it easier to keep rest days restful.
- Task 3
  Plan next week's run days
  Read your log, name one useful observation and choose up to three nonconsecutive running days for next week, with a full day without running between them.
  Why: Recovery belongs in the plan before running starts.

The other 93 days unlock when Steps 100: Couch to 5K is yours.

Join the waitlist now

The app launches December 15, 2026. Join the waitlist before then and the Early Adopter badge is yours. The group starts Day 1 on January 1, 2027, and you can start earlier if you like. Sign up after launch and Steps 100: Couch to 5K is ready when you are. Your first pack is on us.

How Steps 100: Couch to 5K works

What you do each day
3 goals a day. Your daily core, Do today's walk, run or recovery, is the same every day. The other two are new each day: Task 2 builds the habit and Task 3 adds a different angle. Each one comes with a short why.
Time and effort
Most days fit around a normal day, all 3 goals together. Some days are lighter, and nothing needs to happen at a set time.
Difficulty and pace
Steady. Small daily steps that grow a little each week. Some days ask a bit more. Milestone badges at 10, 25, 50 and all 100 fully completed days mark how far you came.
Easier alternatives and rest days
Most goals have an easier alternative. “Choose an easier alternative” puts it in its place, and it counts the same as the original goal: the same square, streak and rewards. A rest day protects the streak on days life happens.
Pausing or switching
With another challenge going, you can pause this one any time. Resume later and you pick up on the same day you left. Remove it instead and your history stays: ticks, notes and photos. You always keep at least one challenge going. Up to 3 packs can be active at once, your main challenge included. Active and scheduled packs count; paused, finished and not started ones don't. You can own as many packs as you like and start them later.
What you own
Unlock Steps 100: Couch to 5K on its own ($9.99 or a free credit) and it's yours forever, to replay any time. All Access opens every pack while you're subscribed. Credits never expire, so use them when you're ready.

Pack guide

Running rules

Leave a full day without running between runs. Repeat an earlier comfortable stage whenever needed; the numbered day is not a deadline to reach a distance. Walk breaks are always allowed. Use the listed duration as an option, not a pass condition, and keep an effort at which you can speak comfortably. A five-minute walk before a run and after it helps you ease in and out. Thirty minutes of running is not necessarily five kilometres.

How to use task details

The task title names the action. Open its details for the method, examples and any relevant precautions; Why explains the purpose. Save the stated output or record the action you actually took. Paper and other suitable tools are valid alternatives. Do not mark a real-world result complete merely because a planning note was written. Writing tasks can be done in Journal, on paper or anywhere you like. Linking them to Journal is optional.

Sources: NHS, Couch to 5K running plan (opens in a new tab)

Earn 4 milestone badges

10, 25, 50 and all 100 fully completed days of Steps 100: Couch to 5K: your first achievement, then bronze, silver and gold. Days finished late count too.

Steps 100: Couch to 5K 0 of 4

Who it's for

Is Steps 100: Couch to 5K for you?

For total beginners who want to reach 5K, and anyone restarting after a long break. Build gradually, and check with a doctor before starting if you're managing a health condition.

Rest days are built in and they are not optional.

What the 100 days cover

Walk, then jog, then run
Rest days built in
Simple leg strength moves
The talk test for pacing
Warm ups and walking posture

Price and credits

What it costs

This pack: $9.99 once. All 100 days. That pack, owned forever.
Free credit: Your first pack is on us: every new account gets one free specialty credit for any pack, and it never expires. Use it here and it costs nothing.
Hotter bundle: $29.99 once. Own every pack currently available in this track, plus any new packs released in this track during the 12 months after purchase. All packs unlocked during that period remain yours forever. Packs released afterward are sold separately.
All Access: $39.99 a year (7 days free, then $39.99/year unless canceled), or $4.99 a month with no free trial. Every current and newly released standard pack while you're subscribed. Access ends when your subscription ends. Packs you own stay yours.

Questions

Good to know

I can't run at all. Is this for me?

Yes. It starts with walking, then walking and jogging, and only then running. Day 1 is simply your first walk.

Can I skip the rest days?

Please don't. Rest days are built in and they are not optional, because rest is when your legs get stronger.

What if something feels wrong?

Build gradually and take the rest days. Stop and seek advice for chest pain, dizziness or joint pain that does not settle, and check with a doctor before starting if you're managing a health condition.

Can I see the first days?

Yes. Days 1 to 5 are free to read on this page, from your first walk to standing tall while you walk.

How much does Steps 100: Couch to 5K cost?

Steps 100: Couch to 5K is $9.99 once: that pack, owned forever. Every new account also gets one free specialty credit, so you can unlock one pack like this one at no cost. The Hotter bundle is $29.99 once: own every pack currently available in this track, plus any new packs released in this track during the 12 months after purchase. All packs unlocked during that period remain yours forever. Packs released afterward are sold separately. All Access Yearly is $39.99 a year (7 days free, then $39.99/year unless canceled), or All Access Monthly is $4.99 a month: every current and newly released standard pack while you're subscribed. Access ends when your subscription ends. Packs you own stay yours.

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