Posted by Admin

Couch to 5k

On top of strength exercises that work all the major muscle groups two or more times a week, government guidelines currently state that we should all be getting 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity per week. There are a plethora of ways you can do that, from abseiling to Zumba. I choose to clock up those weekly exercise minutes by going for a run.

On top of strength exercises that work all the major muscle groups two or more times a week, government guidelines currently state that we should all be getting 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity per week. There are a plethora of ways you can do that, from abseiling to Zumba. I choose to clock up those weekly exercise minutes by going for a run.

Now, I wouldn't class myself as a runner. When I was a kid I'd do anything to avoid a cross country run and, although I was baptised into the 'PE girl' 400m relay team on sports day, I was always placed in the slowest 2nd leg.

In fact, it was only recently that I discovered effing and jeffing myself around the neighbourhood isn't entirely terrible. I've slowly begun to unsheathe my tracksuit bottoms and hoodie and embrace the Lycra; my 6am runs have turned into 6pm runs and I even dare to make eye contact with those I pass. I now enter races (although always place near the back) and have coordinated a running group around my estate. On Sunday the 26th April 2020 I will reach the pinnacle of running - the London Marathon.

This didn't happen overnight. I didn't wake up one morning being able to run as well as I do now. It's been a long slow process (a marathon in itself if you will) and the first step began with Couch to 5k.

Before the Couch to 5k I would decide to go for a run, peg it down the road, struggle to breathe, get disheartened and vow never to go again. The Couch to 5k program aims to circumvent this destructive pattern by building up your cardiovascular fitness slowly allowing your body to get used to, and therefore adapt to, your new training regime. It mixes periods of brisk walking and running together and over the nine-week programme it slowly reduces the amount of walking time and increases the amount you run. By the end of the program, you should be able to run for 5k or for 30 minutes (the first time I completed it I ran just over 4k - I still struggle to complete a 5k in 30 minutes).

You can follow the Couch to 5k alone if you want to; all you need is a watch to be able to log the time you're running and walking. However, there's a hundred different versions of the Couch to 5k podcast now - you can get everyone from Jo Whiley to Sanjeev Kohli to cajole you to complete those steps. You simply download it from iTunes or Google Play and you're ready to go - https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/

To build up your cardiovascular fitness you need to go running three times a week before moving onto the next week's podcast; this repetition is what builds up your stamina. For the first four weeks you complete the same run three times, but by the time you get to Week 5, things become a bit more tricky:

The Couch to 5k Training Plan

Week 1
5 minute warm-up walk
1 minute running & 1 and a half minutes walking
20 minutes total

Week 2
5 minute warm-up walk
1 and a half minutes running & 2 minutes walking
20 minutes total

Week 3
5 minute warm-up walk
2 cycles of:
1 and a half minutes running & 1 and a half minutes walking
3 minutes running & 3 minutes walking

Week 4
5 minute warm-up walk
2 cycles of:
3 minutes running & 1 and a half minutes walking
5 minutes running & 2 and a half minutes walking

Week 5
Week 5 is where it gets interesting. Instead of having your three runs the same you have 3 different runs. Run 3 is notoriously difficult and many people find themselves completing this week several times until they can complete Run 3 comfortably.

Run 1
5 minute warm-up walk
3 cycles of:
5 minutes running & 3 minutes walking

Run 2
5 minute warm-up walk
2 cycles of:
8 minutes running & 5 minutes walking

Run 3
5 minute warm-up walk
20 minutes running

Week 6
This week's runs are again split into three separate ones. The first couple might seem like a regression after the high of Week 5 Run 3, but it's important to not push yourself too hard too soon and slowly build up to the longer Run 3.

Run 1
5 minute warm-up walk
5 minutes running & 3 minutes walking
8 minutes running & 3 minutes walking
5 minutes running

Run 2
5 minute warm-up walk
10 minutes running & 3 minutes walking
10 minutes running

Run 3
5 minute warm-up walk
25 minutes running

Week 7
From Week 7 you go back to having three identical runs a week - hard on the legs but easy on the memory!

5 minute warm-up walk
25 minutes running

Week 8
5 minute warm-up walk
28 minutes running

Week 9
5 minute warm-up walk
30 minutes running

I've led a variety of clients through the Couch to 5K plan and the majority of people have found the mental barrier to be more difficult to push through than the physical one. By the time the longer run kicks in in Week 5 your body has begun to change and adapt; your cardiovascular system is stronger and your health is improving. However, it takes a while for your brain to catch-up - it's important to stay positive and believe you can do it!

Either guiding clients through the Couch to 5k or completing it yourself could be the start of a love of running - you don't know until you try! Public Health England, and many of the medical colleges, hail physical activity (including running) as helping to reduce the risk of key preventable diseases that are driving demand on NHS services, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and some cancers.

To me that sounds like the perfect reason to lace up those trainers and head out for an eff and an jeff.

Kate's background is in education and she worked as a teacher in York for nine years before making the switch to the fitness industry. Kate now works for CORE Fitness Education as the Operations Manager. She is a qualified Personal Trainer, teaches Zumba and co-ordinates her local running group.

Share this: