Couch-to-5K: your first running shoes and gear

What Couch to 5K asks of you, and your shoes

This is the level for anyone starting from zero. The NHS Couch to 5K plan is three runs a week with a rest day between each, over 9 weeks or longer if you need it. Week 1 alternates 1-minute runs with 90-second walks; by week 9 you're running for 30 minutes without stopping. Every session starts and ends with a 5-minute walk, and the NHS says repeating a run or a week is fine. Nothing in the plan is fast. That shapes everything on this page: you need comfort for up to about 40 minutes on your feet, at an easy pace, walking as well as running. You don't need speed, and you don't need much gear.

What to buy first: one shoe and a way to carry your phone

Start with one comfortable, plate-free road daily trainer that fits your foot. The NHS kit list asks for "running shoes that support your feet," comfortable clothes, a supportive bra if you need one, and a running armband if you have no pocket for your phone, which runs the Couch to 5K coach (NHS). That's the whole essential list.

For the shoe, our best running shoes for beginners ranks seven for this plan, led by the Brooks Ghost 18, with separate lists for women and men that spell out every width. Fit matters more than any foam name, so read what size running shoes to get before you order. For everything else, the Couch to 5K gear checklist covers phone carriers, socks, and what you can leave on the shelf.

How running shoes divide, in beginner terms

Running shoes are sorted by the job they do. Three kinds matter at this level:

• Neutral daily trainers handle most of a runner's miles at an easy pace. This is the default first shoe, and every top pick on our beginner lists is one.
• Stability shoes add guidance features, such as Brooks' GuideRails, for runners who want support. The research on who needs them is less clear-cut than the marketing, so we suggest starting neutral and choosing support if it feels better or a clinician recommends it. The detail is in neutral vs stability running shoes.
• Max-cushion shoes stack on extra foam, mainly for long and recovery runs at later levels. A few, like the HOKA Bondi 9, are also pitched for walking, which can suit the walk-heavy early weeks; it's a preference, not a requirement.

Tempo and race shoes, including carbon-plated ones, are built for faster running and belong further up the ladder. Our how to choose running shoes guide walks through the decision in seven steps.

What decides the price

Price mostly buys things a beginner doesn't need yet. The NHS says you don't have to spend a lot of money: expensive shoes may just be more durable and lightweight, which makes them more suitable for people running long distances, and all running shoe brands make cheaper versions suitable for beginners. The trade-off shows up in the reviews. RTINGS calls the Nike Winflo 12 a budget-friendly max-stack shoe and the adidas Questar 4 a budget-friendly shoe for everyday miles, and calls both heavy. For run/walk sessions at an easy pace, we'd take a heavier shoe that fits over a lighter one that doesn't. Spend your effort on getting the size and width right.

The mistake to avoid

There are two versions of the same mistake. One is buying a racing shoe, often a carbon-plated one, because it's the newest thing on the wall: it's designed for fast race efforts, and Couch to 5K has none. The other is running in whatever's already in the closet, whether that's old sneakers, tennis shoes or gym trainers. The AAOS, the US orthopedic surgeons' academy, advises a shoe designed for any single sport you do more than twice a week, and this plan is three runs a week. We've compared the usual stand-ins in running shoes vs walking shoes, running shoes vs tennis shoes and running shoes vs training shoes.

Next level up: your first 10K

Every shoe on our beginner lists is badged for 10K too, so the pair you finish week 9 in can carry you into the next plan. Hal Higdon's Novice 10K is a common next step: 8 weeks of three runs a week plus two cross-training days, opening with a 2.5-mile run. When you're ready, head to the 5K and 10K hub, start with how long to train for a 10K, and see our best running shoes for 5K and 10K. Already running and unsure where you fit? The running shoes by pace and mileage finder matches shoes to your weekly miles.