The run interval grows by 30 seconds. Not much on paper — noticeable in your legs. Week 2 is where the plan quietly starts asking more than "prove you can do it once."
5 minute brisk walk warmup, then:
Run 90 seconds → Walk 2 minutes, repeated 6 times (about 21 minutes total).
The extra 30 seconds of running mostly shows up in the last third of each interval — the part where week 1 you'd already be counting down to the walk break. That's the adaptation happening, not a sign you're behind schedule.
The extra 30 seconds is easy to get wrong. People run the first interval at the speed they used in week 1 and are gasping by the fifth. Run the same easy pace as last week and let the interval be longer, not faster. You should finish the last run feeling you could have done one more.
Leave at least a day between sessions. If you feel unusually sore, a gentle walk on a rest day is fine, but save your running for the three sessions.
Repeating a week is a normal part of Couch to 5K, not a failure. If you could not finish the sessions, or you finished them but felt wrecked for a day or two, do this week again before you move on. The plan is time-based, so nothing is lost by taking an extra week.
Week 3 introduces the first 3-minute run. Go to week 3.
Session structure follows the NHS Couch to 5K plan. Updated 27 October 2026.
Exhale Exhale keeps this exact interval timing intact and scores it to a mission that escalates in step with the longer run segments — so the extra 30 seconds lands as rising tension in the story, not just a bigger number on a timer.
▶ Run week 2 as a missionThis is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or haven't exercised in a long time, check with your GP first. Stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness. Last updated 27 October 2026.
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