In July, I started the Couch to 5k, a programme set up by the NHS to get couch potatoes running for half an hour, or 5k, in just 9 weeks. As you can see by the publication date of this post, it took me longer than 9 weeks, but I did it! I finished it last week and I thought I’d write this post to share my experience with you, in the hopes that even those of you who don't run will find it interesting to read what I've learnt.
I started the Couch to 5k to get fitter, get motivated and get outside. It gave me a reason to get out early, it gave me a nice bit of routine, and I thought following a set programme would help me stay accountable and driven. I’ve always preferred home workouts, but the idea of being able to go running did appeal to me.
*Side note: it also gave me more content for my blog! I really enjoyed documenting my experience in my stories, and all the photos I'm using on this post are taken from them.*
The Couch to 5k sets you 3 runs every week,
sometimes the same run repeated 3 times, sometimes 3 different runs. You select a ‘trainer’ (voiceover and support) and I picked Sarah
Millican. She's a good one to go for if you want a cheerful, relaxed running companion.
Every run includes a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down walk, and most of the running is done in intervals. In the first week, you start off running for 1 minute at a time, with a brisk 90 second walk in between each run. Then you work up to a minute and half in week 2, then 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 8… until before you know it, spluttering, tomato-red and hoiking up your gym leggings as you go, you're being told you have to run for 20 (apparently a lot of people give up at this point). But you’ve done it and at week 6 Sarah’s telling you you’re a 'runner'. It's official. By the last 3 weeks it's solid blocks of 25, 28 and then finally 30 minutes at a time.
Apart from one shall-not-be-named run in Derbyshire (I was smart enough to go for a run in the Peaks after only running in South-East England...), I completed every run, despite reservations I wouldn’t be able to. Because I did really struggle, most of the time (throughout the programme, not just the beginning), I felt like I was dragging myself along. To me and my perfectionist self, it didn't seem right to be just able to do it. Sometimes I wondered whether I was just forcing myself to go further, that I could’ve run week 4’s runs in the second week, for example, it was just a case of struggling a bit longer; it’s hard to prove whether you’re improving if you’re finding it so difficult each time.
However, I can safely say that there is no way I could’ve
run for 30 minutes a few months ago, especially not semi-comfortably as I
did the day I finished. A few weeks ago, I did the same route I did in March, when lockdown hit and I did a post about trying to go on runs more
(no surprise, without the help of the programme, I didn’t keep it
up - #notsponsored btw). Repeating the route, and being able to run the whole thing instead of stopping
every few minutes, was really rewarding. I know I’ve got better at running, and
I know I’ve got fitter.
But, I also think so much of it is mind over matter, and
having the programme helped immensely with this. You’ll probably find that you
can do so much more than you think, if you have the conviction and little bit
of push to keep going.
The other difficulty I had was pace. At some points, I felt I may as well have been walking. But I had to remember that even if I’m going at a snail’s pace, I’m tiring myself out and I'm still jogging. Downloading Strava nearer the end of the programme didn't help me obsessing over it, but I did enjoy seeing my run analysed, and seeing how far I was going. I'm now running around 4k in the 30 minutes on finishing the programme, and I can start working towards getting to the 5k using it.
I also will say that I didn’t follow the programme religiously,
and I’d be surprised by people who do. There were a couple of times where I didn’t
do 3 runs a week and so repeated some weeks. It’s important to be realistic
and still be proud of what you have achieved.
However, the last week did consist of 3 runs across 3 weeks…yes, I really got so far following it *semi* consistently, and the last week took me that long. But, being realistic again, I started a new job, and things got a bit difficult, and when I took on the extra stress I seemed to forget about the other parts of my life and didn't find the motivation. However, I’m glad I did this, because it actually helped my running so much.
At the end of week 6, I did my first 25 minute run, and I really enjoyed it; I got 10 or 15 minutes in and found my pace, didn’t get out of breath and felt great. But after this point, I couldn’t seem to get to this point again. I found the runs tiring, again like I was dragging myself along, and I felt dejected because I thought I’d really started hitting my stride. I spoke to my boyfriend’s mum (a PT) about it, and she said it might be that I was over-tired and needed a break. This certainly made sense when, having had longer breaks in the final few weeks, and letting my body properly recover, I improved. It really aided my energy levels.
So that would be my main tip for anyone who wants to try it, don’t feel bad if you don’t stick to it all the time and try and have longer rests if you think you need it. By the end I was enjoying the runs again, and this is the most important bit; you have to enjoy it to ensure you keep it up.
Also, make sure you change up your routes. I spent the first few weeks running round my local park, but finally I ventured out and running a new route really helped me keep going.
My attitude towards running was always negative, and I think this came from school. It’s a common belief that exercise isn’t taught and addressed particularly well at school. It’s really difficult because it’s vital to get children to exercise, but the key thing is they must also develop a enjoyment for exercise that will encourage them to carry it on after leaving school. The main thing is to iterate that not every type of exercise/sport will be for everyone; it’s a case of finding something that you love and sticking to it. And I always thought that about home workouts, that was the thing I liked and it was something we never did in school. But since doing the Couch to 5k, I’ve learnt that school actually made me dislike and have a bad attitude towards sport in general. The running we did in school was cross-country, a battle for who-was-the-fastest-and-therefore-coolest. My PE teacher once said that if our other, 60-year-old PE teacher could run it, we all should be able to. The fact I can remember her saying that shows the negative impact it had on me, because that isn’t the way to encourage hormonal, self-conscious kids to exercise.
Running to me was something cool people did, sporty people, people that wear workout gear even when they're not exercising and actually enjoy drinking green smoothies. But really, it’s just moving your body. Anyone can do it. And you know what? I love my workout gear, they’re some of my favourite outfits. They make me feel confident, and they’re so damn comfy. It was actually a big part of keeping me motivated!
Sport in school is generally competitive, sometimes humiliating. Running the Couch to 5k has given me a huge sense of achievement and enjoyment. Because yes, maybe people should aim to be fit enough to run a fair distance in the first place, but the way to get there is not through shame, it’s encouragement, and slowly building up, seeing your improvement as you go. I would never have believed I would be one of those people who...you know...goes running. But here I am. Still me, just moving my body a bit more.
I still feel myself holding guilt for not running enough, doubt about not being very good, worry about not keeping it up. And to be honest, I haven't since finishing the programme a week ago. But the key is to not put so much pressure on it. I have achieved this big goal, I now know that I can run, and I'm doing it my way.
Evie x
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