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Welcome to Sparkies Running
RUNS ARE BETTER TOGETHER.
Log your runs, join a tribe, win cool stuff. Let's get your first run on the board.
Quick one
WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR?
Pick the closest. You get the whole app either way.
The good bit
LOG YOUR FIRST RUN.
Distance and time. That's all we need to get you on the board. Any recent run counts.
YOU'RE ON THE BOARD.
That's 1 run and your first point. Nice.
1 🔥 streak started
One more thing
PUT THOSE KM TO WORK.
Join a tribe and every run you log scores points for your team. It's how the fun starts. Free, and you can leave anytime.
Question 1
WHERE'S YOUR RUNNING AT?
Be honest. The plan only works if it starts where you actually are.
Question 2
HOW MUCH ARE YOU RUNNING NOW?
Days per week, on an honest week. This decides how many runs your plan gives you.
Question 3
WHAT ARE YOU CHASING?
This picks your plan. You can switch any time.
Question 4
GOT A RACE DATE?
If it's locked in, I'll build the plan backwards from it so race day lands exactly on your race.
Last one
KM OR MILES?
How do you measure your runs? You can change this any time in your profile.
Get quick access to our app, install it on your device now.
Install the app
Sparkies Running
plan.boltin.io
Training
The Tribe
Challenges
Resources
Account
your full plan
pick a plan to see your daily sessions here.
explore
⚡ The Sparkie Community
What other Sparkies are doing right now.
Training Videos
Watch these before you start each phase. Short, specific, no waffle. Links coming as Ben films them.
Phase 1 - Base
Phase 2 - Build
Phase 3 - Taper + Race
Training Plans
Pick the plan that fits where you are right now. Not sure? Answer four quick questions and I'll make the call for you.
Start here · free
Train for a race
No race goal
The Rules.
Five non-negotiables. Read them before every plan.
80% of your runs should feel embarrassingly easy. If you are huffing on an easy day, slow down.
Miss a tempo? Fine. Miss a long run? Do not try to cram it in. It does not work like that.
Sleep is training. 7-9 hours. Not negotiable.
If it hurts (actual pain, not soreness), take a day. A missed session beats 3 weeks injured.
Runs over 75 min need fuel. Every 30-40 min. Practice in training, not on race day.
Strength · Optional Track
Strength for runners
A lifting progression that supports your running instead of fighting it. Two sessions a week. Log them like a run, they never touch your run streak.
Heads up, this one is brand new. I am filming proper demo videos for every movement myself, and they are coming soon. For now the demo buttons point to YouTube so you are never stuck. More to come. Ben.
Read this first. Most runners do not need the gym to get faster. If you can run more, or run harder, that usually wins, so if this is wrecking your recovery, drop it without guilt. It earns its place if you are over 40, new to running, capped on mileage by injury, or fixing a known weakness. The wins are real but modest. Do it for that.
Start here
1
Each phase below is one workout. Do all six moves in a session.
2
Run it twice a week, on your hard run days. Keep your easy days easy.
3
New to this? Stay on Foundation. Move up a phase every four weeks or so. No rush.
Dumbbells, a band, bodyweight, a step.
Done a session?
Log it the same way you log a run. Counts as bonus work, not toward your streak.
Learn
Short, specific content for each phase. Watch before you start, not halfway through.
Click a phase, then each week. Everything you need is in there. No excuses for not knowing what to do.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
Marathon Blueprint
16 weeks. 4 phases. Peak long run of 32km. For anyone who has finished a half marathon and wants to go the full distance.
Who this is for: you have run a half marathon and want to go further. The marathon is a different beast - 80% aerobic base, fuelling strategy, and mental resilience. Respect the distance and the distance will respect you.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
10K Blueprint
8 weeks. Higher intensity, VO2max focused, shorter long runs. Everything you need to race your best 10km.
Who this is for: you can run 5km comfortably and want to go faster. The 10k sits right at the VO2max and lactate threshold crossover point - speed endurance is the name of the game.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
The Base
4 weeks. Build your aerobic engine. The plan if your easy runs have been too hard - which is most runners.
Who this is for: anyone who suspects their easy runs are not actually easy. Returners from injury. People rebuilding after a layoff. Runners who keep wondering why they are not improving. Hybrid athletes who want their running to support strength work instead of competing with it.
Zone 2
Upper Zone 2
Rest / Cross
The Engine
4 weeks. A bigger aerobic block for runners who already have a base. Five sessions a week, a touch of tempo, a 2 mile benchmark.
Who this is for: you can already run about 30 minutes non-stop, three or four times a week, and the couch-to-running Base is too easy. This loads more volume and a touch of controlled tempo onto the same Zone 2 foundation.
Zone 2
Strides / Tempo
Rest / Cross
5K Blueprint
6 weeks. Speed focused, higher intensity, short and sharp. Your first 5k or your fastest - either way we are doing it properly.
Who this is for: you can run 2-3km without stopping. Good enough. The 5k is all about speed endurance - we build it fast with short sharp intervals and a solid aerobic base underneath.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
Just Running
A suggested weekly framework, not a strict plan. Use it as a guide for how to structure consistent running when you don't have a race goal. Adapt it to your life.
The idea: 80% of your runs easy, 20% with purpose. One quality session per week, one long run, the rest Zone 2. Simple, sustainable, effective. You will get faster without even trying to.
Beginner - 20km/week
3-4 runs. Easy Zone 2 runs of 5-6km. One longer run of 8km on the weekend. One session with strides.
Intermediate - 35km/week
4-5 runs. Zone 2 base, one tempo run of 6-8km, one long run of 12-14km. Strides once a week.
Advanced - 50km/week
5 runs. Zone 2 base, one interval session, one tempo, one long run of 16-18km. High aerobic volume.
The Weekly Formula
📌
Day 1: Easy Zone 2 run. Whatever distance fits your tier. Conversational pace only.
📌
Day 2: Rest or easy cross-training.
📌
Day 3: Quality session. Tempo run or intervals depending on your level. This is your one hard day.
📌
Day 4: Rest.
📌
Day 5: Easy Zone 2 run + strides at the end. Keeps the legs sharp.
📌
Day 6: Long run. Always easy. Always Zone 2. This builds everything.
📌
Day 7: Rest. Actually rest.
Pacing Guide
Find your goal time, get your paces, tattoo them on your brain. All per kilometre. Do not freestyle this.
The 80/20 rule: 80% of your weekly kays at easy Zone 2 pace. 20% hard. Most runners flip this and wonder why they are tired all the time and getting slower. Science is not optional.
Easy / Zone 2 Pace
Goal Finish
Easy Pace
Feel
Under 1:45
5:30–6:00/km
Conversational. Nose breathing possible.
1:45–2:00
6:00–6:45/km
Comfortable. Full sentences.
2:00–2:20
6:45–7:30/km
Relaxed. HR below 75% max.
Over 2:20
7:30–8:30/km
Slow feels right. That is the point.
Tempo Pace
Goal Finish
Tempo Pace
Feel
Under 1:45
4:30–4:45/km
Comfortably hard. 3–4 word answers.
1:45–2:00
4:50–5:10/km
Working but controlled.
2:00–2:20
5:20–5:45/km
Breathing elevated.
Over 2:20
5:50–6:30/km
Sustained push.
Race Pace
Goal Finish
Race Pace
5km Split
1:30
4:16/km
21:20
1:45
4:58/km
24:50
2:00
5:41/km
28:25
2:15
6:24/km
32:00
2:30
7:06/km
35:30
What Are You Actually Doing
Every session explained so you are not just vibing out there with no idea.
Easy Run
Zone 2. Full sentences. Nose breathing if possible. If you are puffing, slow down. Yes, slower than that. This is not a race.
Tempo Run
Comfortably hard. 3-4 word answers only. Sustained 20-40 min. Raises your lactate threshold. Not fun. Very effective.
Intervals 800m
Hard repeats, easy jog recovery. 5x800m at 5k effort, 90 sec between. It hurts. That is literally the point.
Intervals 1600m
Longer repeats at 10k effort. More race-specific. Full 2 min recovery. Do not shortcut the rest, it matters.
Race Pace Run
Sustained at your goal pace. Your body needs to know what this feels like before race day. Practice the feeling.
Long Run
Always easy. Always. Time on feet, not speed. This one also builds the mental toughness. Respect the long run.
Strides
6-8x 20-second accelerations, full recovery between. Bolted onto easy runs. Keeps your legs from forgetting how to go fast.
Deload Week
Volume drops 30%. You will feel like you should do more. You should not. The body adapts during rest, not during the grind. Embrace it.
Your activity
Every run and session you've banked. Tap the button to log another, the clubhouse sees it.
YOU'RE LOGGING TODAY'S PLAN
km
min
No watch or GPS? A rough estimate is fine. Most runners cover 1km in 5 to 7 min, beginners closer to 10 to 12.
/km
Tap how the run felt overall. Leave on off to skip.
Logging a run from earlier in the week? Pick the date.
Tap "Share" on your Strava activity, or paste from the desktop URL. Lets Ben click through to your full run details.
A photo from your session shows up in the community feed. Resized automatically, you don't need to crop.
Download the card and tag @boltinben or @sparkiesapp in your stories
min
min
km
bpm
min
min
km
min
min
km
bpm
Activity History
no activity yet, sparky. get moving.
HR Zones
Set up your zones once and every logged run will tell you exactly where your heart rate landed. Do the max HR test if you don't know your zones yet.
Flat surface, HR monitor, proper warmup. Takes about 25 min. Do not attempt this cold.
Warmup: 10 min easy jog, then 5 min at moderate effort.
Run 3x 1 min at maximum effort with 1 min easy jog between each.
On the final rep, sprint the last 20 seconds.
The highest HR recorded is your Max HR. Enter it below.
--
bpm max HR
Already know your zones from Garmin, Polar or Whoop? Enter each zone's upper limit below.
Zones saved.
No zones set yet. Use the Max HR Test or Manual Entry tab.
Activity History
Every session you've logged. Tap any cardio session to share the story card.
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Sparkie leaderboards
Country Leaderboard
tribe standings
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This Week
Awarded by Ben every Monday.
All activity
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Ask & Answer
Got a question? Ask. See one you can help with? Answer. Community-driven, moderated.
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0/200 · keep it under one line
0/5000
Challenges
Short, opt-in resets. Designed to be do-able, not heroic.
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Post it to your story. Tag @boltinben if you like.
Post it to your story. Tag @boltinben if you like.
Race Day. Let's Go.
You have done the work. Do not blow it on race morning by being an idiot.
One rule to rule them all: nothing new on race day. Not shoes. Not food. Not socks. Not a new warmup routine you saw on TikTok at midnight. You know what works. Use that.
🌙
Night before: Lay everything out like a flat lay. Normal dinner, nothing wild. Bed on time. Set two alarms because you will not trust just one.
☀️
Morning: Eat 2-3 hours out. Oats, banana, toast. 500ml water on waking. Coffee only if that is your normal thing. Today is not the day to experiment.
🏃
Warmup: 10-15 min easy jog plus leg swings and high knees. Skip the static stretching, this is not a yoga class.
🚀
First 5km: Slower than you think. Every single person who blows up in a half went out too fast. Do not be that person. The race starts at km 15.
🍬
Fuel: First gel at km 5-6. Then every 30-40 min. Wash it down with water. You practiced this. Use what you practiced.
💧
Aid stations: Walk through them and drink properly. 10 seconds of walking beats spending 2 minutes on the side of the road choking.
🧠
Km 15 onwards: This is where races are won. Break it into 2km chunks in your head. Focus on cadence, shoulders down, lean forward. One chunk at a time.
🏁
Finish line: Empty the tank. All of it. 12 weeks of work for this moment. Go absolutely feral.
After. Please Rest.
🥤Within 30 min: protein and carbs. Chocolate milk is genuinely elite recovery food. Eat something real.
🛁Days 1-2: walk around, gentle movement, contrast shower if you are fancy. Zero running. Your legs said no.
😴Days 3-5: sleep like it is your job. Your body is rebuilding right now. Let it.
📅Back to running: easy only, after 7-10 days minimum. Most post-race injuries happen from coming back too fast. Bye Felicia, take the rest.
today's session
The Run Map
where the clubhouse has been running lately. every dot is a city, sized by runs in the last 60 days. no names, no paces, just proof we're everywhere.
Your Stats
the numbers behind your training.
0
No streak, log a run to start.
log a run to start building your stats.
0
Runs
0
Total km
-
Avg HR
-
Week
Weekly Distance - last 8 weeks
Your Progress
Benchmark tests in your plan. Measure the work.
Guides
fuel, recover, and run smarter. short and specific, no fluff.
fueling
recovery
learn
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find sparkies
🔒 the coach
fuel & macros
carbs, protein, fat and calories for your weight and today's run
your weight
today's session
how long? (minutes, for on-the-run fuel)
personalise your calories optional, for a real TDEE
enter age + height for a Harris-Benedict estimate, or body fat % for the more accurate Katch-McArdle. leave blank to use a training-intake estimate.
Ben - Sparkie Coach
ISSA Certified · Ask me anything running
hey sparky. got a running question? hit me. no stupid questions here - well, maybe a few, but i will still answer them.
BEN'S TAKE
on your last run
A note from Ben
BoltinBen
YOUR ACCOUNT
Manage your profile, preferences, and subscription.
Profile
?
JPG or PNG, square crop recommended.
Other Sparkies see this on your runs in the Activity feed.
Subscription
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Update card, view invoices, or cancel at the Stripe customer portal.
Strava
Checking…
Once connected, you can pull your latest run from the Log A Run page with one tap.
Training Schedule
Pick which days you run so your plan fits around your week.
Heart Rate Zones
Not set up yet, Ben needs these to coach you properly.
Used to assign zones to every run you log. Update anytime your fitness changes.
Email Preferences
Comment notifications
Get an email when someone comments on your run or post.
Bolt notifications
Get an email when someone bolts your run. Max one per day.
Broadcast emails
Updates from Ben about new features, plans, and Sparkies news.
Mailing address
Where prizes get posted when you win. Only Ben sees this, and the claim form fills itself in.
Units
Distance & pace
Show distances and pace in kilometres or miles, everywhere.
Danger zone
Deleting your account removes everything, permanently: your runs, points, posts, comments, messages and profile. There is no undo.
EDIT RUN
Update any field. Zone is auto-recalculated from HR.
When did you start your plan?
You're on your plan. To show you what's scheduled today and track your progress, I need to know when you started.
Pick the Monday closest to when you actually began. If you started today, leave it as today.
⚡ INVITE A FRIEND
bring a mate. bank the points.
send your personal link. when they create their account you earn the +3 bring-a-friend bonus on your tribe board. counts once per friend.
got open tribe spots? invite from the tribe hub instead and they land straight in your crew.
⚡ UPGRADE TO COACH
Upgrade to Sparkies Paid
Unlock all training plans, Ask Ben AI coaching, and direct chat with Ben.
What you unlock:
→ 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon plans
→ The full recovery protocol on every run
→ Strava auto-sync (manual logging stays free)
→ Ask Ben, your AI running coach
→ Direct chat with Ben, a real coach in your pocket
Founding member price, locked in for as long as you stay. Cancel anytime. The Base and The Engine stay free.
Take today as a rest day?
Good call. Forced runs on tired legs are how injuries start.
Today becomes a rest day. Tomorrow's plan stays as-is, don't double up to make this up. The plan absorbs this.
Benchmark Test
Log your test
The test IS your run, no need to log this anywhere else.
·
:mm:ss
bpm
HR + pace tells the full fitness story. Same time but lower HR = aerobically fitter. If you don't wear a strap, skip this, time alone is fine.
Saving marks today's session done. Your test will show in run history and on the progress card.
Daily check-in
How are you feeling today?
Quick tap before you log. It tracks how your body is actually holding up, not how the calendar wishes it was.
From your watch this morning optional
On a plan, your answer adapts today's session. Either way it builds your recovery trend. Plan credit isn't affected.
Ben, Live Chat
● Online now, this is Ben, not AI
Messages clear at midnight Sydney time
Hey! Ben here, what's up? Ask me anything.
pick your plan.
Choose what you are training for, then anchor it to a start date or your race date. We will track your progress from there.
STEP 2 OF 2 · OPTIONAL
log your most recent run.
Don't wait for Monday. Drop in your last run and start your streak today. You'll see your run in the Activity feed straight after.
SHARE YOUR RUN
Card
Photo overlay
Download the sticker, drop it over your story photo, then tag @sparkiesapp or @boltinben
⚡
5 runs in. How's it going?
Your honest take helps me make Sparkies better, and if you love it, your words could help another runner take the leap.
Your rating
If your review gets featured we'd show your first name + last initial. e.g. "Sarah K."
RPE, how hard did it feel?
A 1-10 scale of perceived effort. Use your own feel, not your pace or HR. Logging RPE alongside your HR helps spot when easy is no longer feeling easy, an early warning for fatigue.
1
RestNothing. Sitting around.
2
Very easyWalking pace. Could do this all day.
3
EasyConversational. Recovery jog feel.
4
ComfortableSteady aerobic. Can still chat in sentences.
5
ModerateWorking but sustainable. Short sentences only.
6
Moderate-hardTempo feel. Breathing rhythmic. Few words at a time.
7
HardThreshold. Uncomfortable but holding. Single words.
8
Very hard10K race pace effort. Want to stop but pushing through.
9
Near max5K race effort. Can't speak. Holding on for dear life.
10
All-outMaximum effort. Sprint finish. Couldn't go another step.
