Couch-to-5k Program
myronuecker
Posts: 1
I mentioned Couch-to-5k on Friday. It is a 9-week program that can take you from not running at all (couch potato) to running a 5k. Each workout takes about 45 minutes with a 5-minute warm up and 5-minute cool down walk. The program works either by having you walk/run a certain distance, or for a certain amount of time. For time it assumes you will be able to cover 3.1 miles in 30 minutes by the end of the program.
I followed the program two years ago and at the end, I was running pretty good and probably could have completed a 5k. There is a bike path next to my house so it was simple for me to follow it to a park where I could run around the soccer fields without ever crossing a street. The first couple of weeks were very tough but it got easier. Around week 6 I was forced to take a break for a week when my knees started bothering me, but I did finally finish the entire program. To me it felt like the last three weeks were big jumps so I didn't quite run the entire time all three days, but I did run it at the end of each week.
Please be aware that a Google search for this program will reveal many sites that want to charge you for the program. You don't have to pay for it, though, as it was not meant for that. Here's a site that has the entire program listed:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
There are many apps that will make Couch-to-5k easy to follow and you can find them for iPhone and Android. For example, I used the iPhone app "Get Running". This app would guide me through each workout, telling me when to walk and when to run. It also works with music and will lower the volume so you can hear the voice, or if you listen to podcasts, you can have it pause it while talking. One thing it didn't do was keep track of mileage, which would have been a nice addition.
I followed the program two years ago and at the end, I was running pretty good and probably could have completed a 5k. There is a bike path next to my house so it was simple for me to follow it to a park where I could run around the soccer fields without ever crossing a street. The first couple of weeks were very tough but it got easier. Around week 6 I was forced to take a break for a week when my knees started bothering me, but I did finally finish the entire program. To me it felt like the last three weeks were big jumps so I didn't quite run the entire time all three days, but I did run it at the end of each week.
Please be aware that a Google search for this program will reveal many sites that want to charge you for the program. You don't have to pay for it, though, as it was not meant for that. Here's a site that has the entire program listed:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
There are many apps that will make Couch-to-5k easy to follow and you can find them for iPhone and Android. For example, I used the iPhone app "Get Running". This app would guide me through each workout, telling me when to walk and when to run. It also works with music and will lower the volume so you can hear the voice, or if you listen to podcasts, you can have it pause it while talking. One thing it didn't do was keep track of mileage, which would have been a nice addition.
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