This course is specifically designed for women with absolutely no running experience, so don’t feel intimidated! If you can walk one kilometre (0.6 miles) in around twelve minutes, you’re ready for the 5K Course. Right from the start you’ll be able to adjust the exercises according to your fitness level, and make further tweaks as your fitness improves week after week.

The Course consists of a private blog where you get your training plans and Course content, and a private Forum to chat to your fellow runners and get all the coaching support you need. All you have to do is log on and read the blog, download your training plan and of course... run!

You’ll have our unlimited support on the forums to answer all of your questions, with all questions being answered within 24 hours during the week, and within 48 hours over the weekend.

Yu’ll be training three days per week for 45-50 minutes. You won’t be running that whole time so don’t be scared! Allow an hour or so to read through all the Course information on the blog. As for the Forum, the amount of time you spend there depends on your level of Forum addiction! ;)

First and foremost, we can’t stress enough that you should speak to your doctor before starting an exercise programme. This is particularly vital if you have had injuries in the past.

The 5K Beginners Course is designed for true beginners. Thousands of women of all shapes, sizes and ages have successfully completed it whether online or with Julia’s in-person clinics. We recommend that you can walk one kilometre in a maximum of around minutes before starting the Course. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to exercise or if you’ve done a little running before – the Course will meet you wherever you are right now.

If you are currently inactive or do not have a lot of exercise experience, you may not be able to run the whole 5km at the end of the eight weeks, but you’ll find the Course a fantastic way to increase your fitness and make exercise a regular part of your life. We have successful 5K Course graduates who were previously very inactive. They didn’t feel ready to do much running at first, but they found the Course was a fantastic way to build up their fitness levels, have a goal to commit to, and be part of a team of women getting fit together!

Julia’s workout instructions are what she calls Free Form running. For example, if she instructs you to “run 1 mile in Free Form style”, you can cover the distance in any way you choose. It could be all walking if that’s where your fitness levels currently are, or a combination of slow/fast walking, walk/running, or plain old running. The idea is you listen to your body and walk if/when you feel you need to do.

The Course also builds up very gradually each week, so even if you’re not able run much, you’re still walking further and faster every week. Your fitness will gradually improve as your body gets used to this regular exercise. You could be running a lot sooner than you might think! The key is to check with your doctor before you register, then make sure you’ve got a good pair of running shoes and a sports bra. And of course, follow the workout instructions carefully.

You get two weeks bonus access to the Course blog and Forum, and we offer Alumni Circle memberships if want to continue your unlimited coaching support. If you’ve got the running bug we’ve got our Bridge to 10K training guides and 10K Course to keep you busy!

We strongly recommend that you can complete a 5K in 35 minutes or less before joining the 10K Course. The 10K Course is a real step up in intensity and duration from the 5K Course, so this time recommendation is to ensure you have a good level of fitness to complete the workouts safely. Not quite there yet? Our Bridge to 10K training guides will help you improve your time.

The Course consists of a private blog where you get your training plans and Course content, and a private Forum to chat to your fellow runners and get all the coaching support you need. All you have to do is log on and read the blog, download your training plan and of course... run!

You’ll have our unlimited support on the forums to answer all of your questions, with all questions being answered within 24 hours during the week, and within 48 hours over the weekend.

You’ll be training three days per week for 50-60 minutes. Allow an hour or so to read through all the Course information on the blog. As for the Forum, the amount of time you spend there depends on your level of Forum addiction! ;)

You get two weeks bonus access to the Course blog and Forum, and we offer Alumni Circle memberships if want to continue your unlimited coaching support. If you’re hungry for MOAR RUNNING, we’ve got our Rock the 10K training guides and Half Marathon Course to keep you progressing!

If you’re running 10K in 70 minutes or less, you’re ready for our self-paced half marathon course. If you’re not quite there yet, our Rock the 10K training guides will help you pick up the pace.

Unlike our 5K and 10K Courses, the Half Marathon course is self-paced. This means you can sign up and start training on any day that suits you. When you begin depends on your race date - the training goes for 12 weeks so you need to start 12 weeks before your big day. Once you’ve got your start date, all you have to do is log in to the Course blog to get your training plan and read the supporting blog posts... and start running!

You get our unlimited support on the forums for all of your running questions. They’ll be answered within 24 hours during the week, and within 48 hours over the weekend.

You’ll be training three times a week. The first two workouts of the week will be around one hour, with a longer run on the weekend. Also allow an hour to read through all the course materials on the blog - they’ll help you get through the 12 weeks safely and swiftly!

Our courses are designed for outdoor activity but we understand that this isn’t always possible.
Particularly if you live somewhere miserable, cold, dark and wet (we’re looking right at you, Scotland). Doing a workout on a treadmill is better than no workout at all!

Running outdoors and running on a treadmill are two quite different activities. Running on a treadmill might feel easier, because it actually is. First of all you’re indoors, so there’s no wind resistance. The machine also does some of the work for you since there is a mechanical belt rolling beneath your feet and you don’t actually have to use your own force (hamstrings and glutes) to propel yourself forward. The only way to slightly compensate this is to set your treadmill incline at 1%. If possible, try to think of the treadmill as a last resort option and not a regular practice.

We welcome all women aged 18 and over. Julia has trained women from teenagers to over 70?s! You’ll just need to declare to us that you’re healthy when you register for the course. As with any new exercise programme, we recommend you get the green light from your doctor before starting.

The content of our e-courses is geared towards women and many of the topics we will be covering are women-specific. Currently our courses are for women only. If there’s a strong interest from male runners we’ll consider a co-ed course later. Please get in touch if you’re interested!

We understand that everyone has busy schedules and it may not always possible to fit in the three workouts every week if you’re on the road. That said, we strongly encourage you to carve out this time for yourself, three times a week.

If you’re traveling for work, there’s nothing like exercise to help clear your mind when your work life life is hectic. If you’re traveling for pleasure, running can be a great way to check out your destination.

Be imaginative and flexible. Why not bring your running shoes along with you? Maybe you could wake up a bit earlier and fit in a morning session in your hotel gym? Or search online for public parks or running routes before you leave? Many times it’s just a matter of being organised and shifting things around a little.

But if you really can’t fit in the workout, don’t worry if you fall behind. You’ll have access to the Up & Running course blog and Forum for two weeks after your course finishes, so you’ll be able to catch up in your own time.

You can sign up from anywhere in the world. We’ve had Up & Runners from 16 different countries so far, so you’ll be part of a very global community!

The course fees are in British pounds – do you accept payment in other currencies? Yes – payment is made via Paypal, which automatically converts currency for you. We’ve had Up & Runners from all over the world, from Holland to Hong Kong! Check the current exchange rate at xe.com.

Once you sign up the Course fee is non-refundable. Please get in touch if we can help with any questions before you register - we're here to help!