Couch to 5K
Observations, tips, and advice on the journey from couch potato to five-kilometer fitness fanatic
Over the last several years I have accompanied a number of people as they have begun their running journey — either training for specific events or just trying to get fit. I thought it might be interesting to record a few observations about running that might be useful to others setting out on similar paths.
Before beginning, I should perhaps post a disclaimer — I am not a professional athlete, nor a running coach, physiotherapist, sports psychologist, or anything related to any form of fitness. I’m just a normal guy that’s been running on and off for quite a while and has noticed a few things along the way. The rest of this post isn’t so much a lecture, as a “wish people had told me this earlier” Q&A session with myself.
Where to start?
Walk before you run
If you have not run before, or for a long time, seriously consider going on some long walks before getting started with running. Walking at a brisk pace will begin conditioning your legs, lungs, heart, and shins to “doing something” — there will be less of a shock when you increase the speed. If your body isn’t used to being out of its comfort zone (sitting on the sofa long enough to watch the Snyder Cut of Justice League), it’s going to have a fairly major panic attack if you attempt to go straight from couch potato to pavement pounding hero.
Get some half-decent shoes
Runners don’t spend money on shoes just to look good. Actually, that’s not entirely correct, but we’ll try to ignore the sportswear fashionistas. The next time you’re passing a sportswear shop, go in and look at the running shoes — pick them up, and feel them in your hands. You should notice something — they weigh far less than the sports shoes you might consider for other sports.
It’s worth noting that you don’t need “this year’s” shoes. I think it’s pretty common across all leisure and sportswear brands that “this year” costs twice as much as “last year”. My current running shoes are a no-name brand acquired from Amazon. They work just as well as shoes that cost several times more and have not fallen apart (yet).
It’s worth noting that I only wear my shoes to run. Club runners will tell you about letting their shoes “rest” between runs — or even rotating identical pairs of shoes. Unless you’re running tens of kilometres a week, you really don’t need to jump down that particular rabbit hole.
Get with the programme
One of the most useful things I’ve done in the past, and now recommended to others is the “Couch to 5K” programme. It’s advocated by all manner of public health initiatives as “the way to start running”, and I can attest to its effectiveness. You’ve probably heard of it, but might not know what it’s all about.
Over the course of perhaps 9 weeks, you are taken through a series of fitness sessions, with the eventual target of having you run 5 kilometres without stopping. The first week might comprise of a warm-up walk, followed by a minute running, then two minutes walking, then a minute running, and so on for about half an hour. You will repeat the same routine twice more during the week. Week on week the runs get longer (so a minute and a half, two minutes, three minutes, etc), and the rests get less frequent — meaning you eventually run for about 35 minutes without stopping. Guess what ? If you can jog for 35 minutes, you’re probably covering 5 kilometres.
It’s not rocket science, and it doesn’t have to be.
There are all manner of official “Couch to 5K” mobile apps, including a rather wonderful one in the UK supported by the BBC, and there are also all sorts of clever stopwatch apps around — that tell you when to run, and when to walk during the sessions.
I think the key thing about the Couch to 5K programme is there is no shame in taking a break, repeating a week, or even backtracking to an earlier week. It’s not a race — it’s about setting your own goals, and your own schedule.
Guilt is a wonderful motivator
Many people live near running clubs, which often operate both “Couch to 5K” programmes for beginners and various ability groups for more seasoned runners. If you don’t live near a running club, or they run at a time you can’t make because of other commitments, there are also some wonderful mobile apps to help track your runs, such as Strava.
While the likes of Stava aren’t perhaps as much fun as running with a group of friends, interestingly they satisfy a similar end goal though — guilt through peer pressure. If you install Strava, add a few friends, and start sharing your runs on social internet platforms, you will not only see what everybody else is up to — you will also realise “if I give up, they’re going to see me give up too”. It turns out guilt is a wonderful motivator.
Sometimes the only thing that has kept me going during longer runs has been the knowledge that Strava would record that I gave up. I wasn’t particularly worried that anybody else would see — it was more a case that I knew the phone would record a dip in the graph — a reminder.
Get over yourself
One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome with running is yourself. If your run takes you through town, you might factor routes or times that minimise the chances of crossing paths with friends or strangers — who you naturally presume will be watching you, judging you and pouring scorn on your lack of speed, fitness, talent, and general “about to die” demeanour.
Here’s the thing — people are far more concerned about their grocery errand, workday, or relationship than how you look, how fast you’re running, or how far you might have run.
You do you, and let everybody else worry about themselves.
It’s not a race
Perhaps the most counter-intuitive observation about running to keep fit is that it’s not a race. Yes, you are running, yes you might time your runs, and yes, you might figure out exactly how far you have run — but you’re the only competitor, and you’re competing against yourself. Sure, the various mobile apps might have charts, and tables, and all sorts of other meaningless rubbish — but when it comes down to it, it’s just you out there — putting one foot in front of the other for your own reasons.
It’s about how long; not how far, or how fast
One of the most important lessons I learned along the way is that especially when starting out, the most important thing to track is how long you run for — not how far, or how fast. It’s all about time spent running. Speed and distance come later.
If you try to go too far, or too fast before your body is ready, you will injure yourself. Muscles and tendons naturally strengthen over time — adapting to meet the load you put on them. You might have already experienced it — the aches and pains a couple of days after working out. It’s commonly called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) — it’s your body beginning the re-building work.
The body chemistry pay-off
There’s a common feeling of calm you can experience while running. The pattern of footfalls, breathing, and heartbeat can fall into line with one another and trigger a hypnotic state of sorts. Some call it zen, some call it flow-state. It’s all a bit mysterious. Last week while out running, pacing a Couch to 5K session to accompany a friend, my phone crashed and I ended up running non-stop for quite some time before I realised — lost in my thoughts.
One of the more substantial benefits of running happens a few minutes after you complete longer runs. While you might feel awful after waging a battle of wills with yourself over the last kilometre or so — to keep going, to not give up, to just get to the next street corner, and the next — a tidal wave of endorphins gets released into your body — a brain chemistry cocktail that causes a state of euphoria — a natural high. You can be lifted for hours afterwards — it’s a powerful feeling, and for many a factor in getting them out of bed to run on the days they really don’t want to.
Stretching and cold showers
After finishing a run, the most important thing you can do (apart from re-hydrate) is stretch. It only takes a couple of minutes, but will pay off for days. Simple stretches of your Achilles, thighs, crotch, and calves are all that is required. Lean against a wall.
After longer runs, if you experience pain in your shins or thighs, the best hack I have learned is cold water. After your post-run shower, turn the water to cold, and aim the showerhead at your legs for as long as you can stand it. It’s a wonder cure. Try it. It’s no accident that elite athletes jump into ice baths — and while we can’t all afford an ice bath in our back garden, most of us can figure out how to control the temperature of the shower.
