C25K

Marlow Busy Bodies
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

September is almost like January. It brings with it a feeling of new beginnings and fresh starts…now the lovely little pests are back at school it seems anything is possible with the extra time we have on our hands.

There are quite a few Couch to 5k’s starting in September and if you are considering it, it maybe useful to hear from someone who has done it before. One of my friends, Laura, who has always hated the gym and in fact any form of group exercise completed a C25K and is now comfortably running 5k regularly so I thought I would ask her a bit about it.

How were your fitness levels before you started the 8 week course?

I hadn’t done any proper exercise (except walking the dog) since before having kids so approx 15 years, apart from one failed attempt at couch to 5k, with no guidance, I couldn’t seem to get past running 5 mins.

When you started did you think it would be possible to get up to running 5k without stopping?

I did not think it would be possible to ever run more than 5 mins without feeling light headed and like I was going to pass out! 😬

Which week was the hardest?

Once I got past it and proved that I could run more than 5 mins, the hardest week was the 10 mins x 3 with 30 sec break. At that point I just thought — go for it and do the whole 30 mins the 30 second break makes you more aware of how much you have done and still have to do! For homework that week I put my headphones on with 30 mins of timed music and just ran until the songs ran out. I couldn’t believe I actually did it, I was on a high. The next week was 15 mins X 2 with a 30 second break but I just didn’t take the break as from that point I couldn’t go back.

How much ‘homework’ did you have to do between your guided sessions?

We were advised to do whatever we did in the lesson at least once during the week but no more than twice. Most weeks I could only do the homework once. Especially as we were in the middle of the amazing weather throughout a lot of the course, even the instructor said to be careful running in some of the temperatures as we were all new to it.

Can you comfortably run a 5k now?

Yes I can comfortably run 5k (which I still cant believe! 😱) but not yet within 30 mins — it is more like 33/34 mins. Now that the kids are back at school there is an improvers class, which I will start, this works on improving speed and techniques.

Have you enjoyed it?

I have enjoyed it yes and surprised myself as have not missed one session. I have not made one excuse not to go or not to do my homework. I have a long way to go but if anyone had told me this time last year that I would be able to run for more than 30 minutes without stopping I would’ve told them to do one !

I honestly think if I hadn’t joined a group and been taught about posture, stretching, breathing and pace and I’d attempted it again by myself I probably would’ve found an excuse to not carry on. By myself I was running way to fast and burning out and then aching the next couple of days which would put me off wanting to move on to the next week. The course which I did was £25 for 8 weeks and was run through the council as part of being active so it was an absolute bargain and it has made me feel so pleased with myself. I would 100% recommend it to anyone who is thinking of doing it.

So there you go. If you have any doubts about starting to run, don’t, just get your trainers on and give Couch to 5k a bash. You never know you may just surprise yourself and love it!

Marlow Busy Bodies

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