Your Guide to the Joy of Running Series with Tommy Rivs

The difference between loving running and abandoning it often comes down to how you start. Go too hard too fast, and it feels like punishment. Build gradually with the right guide, and something clicks. That's the idea behind iFIT Trainer Tommy Rivs' Joy of Running series: a progressive, multi-part journey across three locations designed to help you build a running habit that sticks.

Here's what each part covers and where to begin.

Part 1: Sardinia, your first steps

Joy of Running Part 1: Sardinia is designed for people who are brand new to running or looking to reset completely. Across 20 workouts, Tommy guides you along scenic coastal paths and through historic towns while blending walking and running intervals that gradually extend as the series progresses. The goal by the final workout: run 30 minutes continuously.

Tommy doesn't demand more than your body is ready to give. He paces you and encourages you every step of the way.

Start in Sardinia.

Part 2: California Coast, finding your stride

Part 2 spans 20 workouts across two installments filmed along Northern California's coastline.

Part 2: Redwoods, Workouts 1–10 takes you into Muir Woods, introducing a two-format structure: foundation sessions with short two-minute intervals to dial in pacing and form, and growth sessions that extend your effort with longer sustained runs.

Explore the Redwoods.

Part 2: California Coast, Workouts 11–20 moves up the coast past Chimney Rock, Drake's Beach, and Bodega Bay. Running segments stretch to six to eight minutes here. Tommy is teaching you how to sustain effort, not just survive it.

Run the California Coast.

Part 3: Oregon, building something that lasts

The newest installment, Joy of Running Part 3: Oregon, moves into the Pacific Northwest. Tommy guides you through Tumalo Falls, Cape Kiwanda, Ecola State Park, and alpine forests that feel genuinely remote.

This part shifts emphasis toward building a strong aerobic base for long-term improvement. Less about hitting specific milestones, more about learning to pace yourself, recover well, and keep showing up. The walk-run format continues, but the focus is on making running feel sustainable rather than effortful.

You don't need to run fast to be a runner. You just need to start, and then keep going.

Find your stride in Oregon.

Where to begin

New to the series? Start with Part 1: Sardinia. The 20-workout structure carries you from walking intervals to continuous running with Tommy guiding every step.

Completed Part 1? Move to the California Coast. Begin with the Redwoods workouts before continuing to the coastal second half.

Returning after a break or building an aerobic base from scratch? Part 3: Oregon works as a standalone entry point and is built for exactly that phase.

All three parts of the Joy of Running series are available now in the iFIT app.

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