Before the lockdown started in the UK, I was going to the gym at least three times a week and it was part of my weekly routine. When lockdown and its restrictions were introduced, the gym had to close and I had to start working from home permanently. This then meant that the routine I had was suddenly gone. Whilst my gym started sharing a number of sessions online I just struggled with some of the exercises included and felt that I really needed more cardio, especially as I was now sitting down for the majority of my day. I also wanted to maximise my daily exercise allocation.
I had heard about the Couch to 5K programme before but hadn't been a massive fan of running, the treadmill was always that one piece of equipment that I would want to try and avoid whilst at the gym! Maybe I needed to give it a try though.
Couch to 5K is a running programme for beginners that consists of a 9 week plan that helps you to gradually build up your running ability with the aim of completing a 5K without stopping (something that I had never done before). There is also an app that is available to download which I have found great to track progress as well as using it when out on runs to help to know when to start and stop running. There are three runs each week and it is recommended that you take rest days in-between runs. There is also the option to repeat weeks as necessary until you feel that you are able to progress to the next stage.
I have include below details and thoughts of my progress so far on the programme.
Week 1
The first week of the programme includes 3 runs where you have a 5 minute warm up walk and then repeat 1 minute of running and 1 and a half minutes of walking for up to 20 minutes. For me just starting the programme and having to run for 1 minute initially was very daunting. Although it does sound a lot of running at the beginning I did find that I managed to complete this. The second and third runs of the 1st week remain the same which is useful as you start to getting into a rhythm and know what you can achieve in that time.
Week 2
Similar to Week 1, the three runs remain the same and included the 5 minute warm up walk followed by repeating 1 and a half minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking up to a total of 20 minutes. You notice that the length of time that you are running for increases by 30 seconds each time but it is the same for the walking breaks in between each run.
I did find it a lot harder having to run for the additional 30 seconds each time but having the time for walking increased as well definitely helped. By the end of the second week I couldn't believe that I was managing to run for 1 and half minutes let alone the fact that for each of the runs I was running for a total of 9 minutes. If anyone had asked me two weeks ago, I would never had thought that I could achieve it.
I did find it a lot harder having to run for the additional 30 seconds each time but having the time for walking increased as well definitely helped. By the end of the second week I couldn't believe that I was managing to run for 1 and half minutes let alone the fact that for each of the runs I was running for a total of 9 minutes. If anyone had asked me two weeks ago, I would never had thought that I could achieve it.
Week 3
In the third week of the programme you start to see some of the running sections increase in time across the three runs that week (which again are all the same).
As always there is a 5 minute warm up walk at the beginning of each session, there was then two cycles of 1 and half minutes of running, 1 and a half minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking.
I never thought that I could run for 1 and half a minutes let alone three minutes but with having completed the previous weeks runs I knew that I needed to give it a try. I definitely surprised myself with the runs in week 3 and by slightly reducing how fast I was going (although I wasn't going very fast to start with) it did mean that I was able to complete the three minutes of running that was included in that week's plan.
Whilst the third run of week 3 was the same as the previous two runs in structure, I had been nominated to do 5K in aid of raising money for NHS charities. I knew that there was no way I could run 5K not at this stage in the programme, so I completed the 3rd run of the week as detailed in the plan and then just added on the extra as a combination of walking and running where possible. Although I did a 5K at this stage in the plan, I still wanted to get to the point where I could run it without stopping.
As always there is a 5 minute warm up walk at the beginning of each session, there was then two cycles of 1 and half minutes of running, 1 and a half minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking.
I never thought that I could run for 1 and half a minutes let alone three minutes but with having completed the previous weeks runs I knew that I needed to give it a try. I definitely surprised myself with the runs in week 3 and by slightly reducing how fast I was going (although I wasn't going very fast to start with) it did mean that I was able to complete the three minutes of running that was included in that week's plan.
Whilst the third run of week 3 was the same as the previous two runs in structure, I had been nominated to do 5K in aid of raising money for NHS charities. I knew that there was no way I could run 5K not at this stage in the programme, so I completed the 3rd run of the week as detailed in the plan and then just added on the extra as a combination of walking and running where possible. Although I did a 5K at this stage in the plan, I still wanted to get to the point where I could run it without stopping.
Week 4
Within Week 4 of the programme, you definitely start to see the amount of running increasing mixed in which different amounts of running.
Each of the runs were the same and all started with the 5 minute warm up walk. There was then 3 minutes of running, 1 and a half minutes of walking, 5 minutes of running, 2 and half minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running, 1 and a half minutes of walking and 5 minutes of running. This meant that for each of the runs I was running for a combined total of 16 minutes.
When I started week 4, I really didn't think that I was going to be able to complete it (although I knew that I had done the previous three weeks) and was thinking that this was going to be the week where I may have to repeat it.
During these runs I couldn't believe that I had been able to run consistently for the 5 minute blocks this was something that I never thought that I could do. It does show that if you follow the plan that you build up the stamina and running ability to do these longer bursts. Once I had completed some of the 5 minute runs it then started to help when I had a 3 minute run as I then knew that I could complete that plus some.
Within Week 4 of the programme, you definitely start to see the amount of running increasing mixed in which different amounts of running.
When I started week 4, I really didn't think that I was going to be able to complete it (although I knew that I had done the previous three weeks) and was thinking that this was going to be the week where I may have to repeat it.
During these runs I couldn't believe that I had been able to run consistently for the 5 minute blocks this was something that I never thought that I could do. It does show that if you follow the plan that you build up the stamina and running ability to do these longer bursts. Once I had completed some of the 5 minute runs it then started to help when I had a 3 minute run as I then knew that I could complete that plus some.
At the end of week 4, I had a massive sense of achievement as I had stuck to the plan for a whole month and had run the furthest and longest that I had ever been able to do consistently. It had also given me a sense of routine as I had stuck to running on the same days each week which was something that I had been missing since my gym have to close as part of lockdown.
Week 5
I went into week 5 of the programme really not looking forward to it as had reviewed the runs that was going to be part of that week and had seen that the third run was for 20 minutes (something that I never thought that I would be able to achieve).
Week 5 was also the first week where all three of the runs were different which was a change from all the previous weeks as the runs had been the same throughout. Again all of the runs included the 5 minute warm up walk.
Run 1 - 5 minutes running, 3 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of running (total combined running of 15 minutes).
Run 2 - 8 minutes running, 5 minutes walking and 8 minutes of running (total combined running of 16 minutes).
Run 3 - 20 minutes running
Each of these runs was an increase on the longest amount of time that I had run in total. With each of the runs I always had some doubt that I wouldn't be able to complete it but somehow with the training from the past 4 weeks I completed them all. The third run of the week was the biggest test and one that I definitely wasn't looking forward to. I just focused on each minute of running and slowed down when I needed to which meant that was able to complete the 20 minute run which was a massive achievement.
Week 5 was also the first week where all three of the runs were different which was a change from all the previous weeks as the runs had been the same throughout. Again all of the runs included the 5 minute warm up walk.
Run 1 - 5 minutes running, 3 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of running (total combined running of 15 minutes).
Run 2 - 8 minutes running, 5 minutes walking and 8 minutes of running (total combined running of 16 minutes).
Run 3 - 20 minutes running
Each of these runs was an increase on the longest amount of time that I had run in total. With each of the runs I always had some doubt that I wouldn't be able to complete it but somehow with the training from the past 4 weeks I completed them all. The third run of the week was the biggest test and one that I definitely wasn't looking forward to. I just focused on each minute of running and slowed down when I needed to which meant that was able to complete the 20 minute run which was a massive achievement.
As I am writing this blog I have just started Week 6 of the plan and I go into this on the back of completing the 20 minute run (last run of week 5) which was a massive success and am hoping to continue to build upon this (although I know that there are less split out runs now and more focus on running for longer periods). I now know that I can run for longer periods of time than I thought, giving me confidence for future sessions.
Some tips that I have learnt so far on the Couch to 5K plan:
- Trust the plan
- Don't focus on the other runs that are part of that week, try and just concentrate on the one that you have that day
- Don't stress about having to repeat as week, although not something I have done it is always useful to know that you can do this if necessary
- Try not to look too far forward in the plan and worry about how on earth you would ever be able to do those runs
If you are thinking about starting the Couch to 5K programme, I would definitely recommend it. I never thought that I would be where I am now in the sessions as well as enjoying running. You will start to notice the improvement in your running and whilst some of the sessions can seem really daunting they are all doable and as I have learnt you just need to try and trust the plan as it really does work.
Fleur xo
