Couch to 5k - Become a Jogger!

This is for everyone who wants to run but can't get past the front gate. Even if you only secretly want to run, because it seems to much to hope for.

I'm not going to tell you the story of how I was a shocking jogger (was, still sort of am). Instead, I'm going to look at a program that I didn't use, but a lot of my less fitness focused friends and acquaintances used and highly recommend.

You might have heard of the Couch to 5k program. It is sometimes abbreviated as C25K (that really confused me for a while, C25K is meant to be slightly different, as it's trademarked, but the principal is the same).

The point of the program is to take you from not being able to jog for more than a minute at a time to being able to jog 5km non-stop in 8/9 weeks.

According to my internet sources, the program was developed by Josh Clarke in 1996. So I followed the links to find out why he had done it. According to his blog he is actually a software designers, that started running the hard way but once converted wanted to get other people on board. He claims that he developed the C25K program with his 50 year old mother in mind, so don't be put off that he was young and already running.

The program lasts for 9 weeks and requires that you commit to a 20-30min sessions three times a week. As Josh points out, this is the same amount of time that is generally recommended for general fitness, though that is being revised and some health organisations now say 30mins everyday is closer to what we need to be healthy.

The program breaks up each workout into a series of intervals mixing walking and jogging. As the weeks go on the walking intervals become shorter and the jogging intervals become longer.

Now, the intervals can either be a set time or a set distance, depending on which is easier to monitor. Most of the apps or downloadable programs, though, work in set times.

A sample of the first two weeks looks like this:

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

(see Cool Running for the full program, it's there for free, I just felt bad stealing it all without directing you to their site.)

However, that is not the best part of the program.

They have MP3 or mobile apps to help you. They have everything timed and a pleasant voice says 'start running' and after 60 seconds 'start walking'. 

Now, I will point out that I've now tested both the MP3 and the app versions and I prefer the app, mostly because the MP3 version you have to listen to their music, while the app works on top of your own music. But otherwise, both are good.

As programs that appear to be effective and take almost no thinking, this is high up there. You don't need anything complex, if you don't have a smart phone or MP3 player, you can just use a normal watch and count it out for yourself.  

But I'm Already A Jogger!

So, you are already a jogger and think that this program has no use for you?

Well, think again. The purpose of the program is to work up gradually to a much faster speed. It is focused on the transition from walking to jogging, but there is no reason it can't be used for the transition from jogging to running, or just faster jogging.

I downloaded the app today and took it to the gym as I want to improve my running speed. Currently I can jog quite comfortably at 8.5km/hour (which is really slow, I know) and I can do 10km/h in a 10km race. So, I set my 'walking' pace to be 8km/h (slightly slower than my normal jogging pace because it is 'recovery' and my heart rate has to slow) and my 'jogging' pace to be 12km/h and used the program that way. It worked really well. I don't know if I'll be able to even it out to be running the full 30mins at 12km/h in 8 weeks, but I'll keep giving it a go and see.

(On an aside, while looking for the necessary sites to link you to, I came across this: Pooch to 5 km how to jog with your dog.)

Now, my super awesome little sister has 'volunteered' to test out the program for non-runners.

Introducing...Jenny! (and me, I'm the taller one)

She has in the past managed to jog 5km (it was slow, but she managed it!) but hasn't done much this year and recently sprained her ankle so is out of shape. 

But for the sake of science she is prepared to put herself out there and test the program.

If anyone else feels up to the challenge and wants to join Jenny, post your name and the amount you can currently jog below. 

(Also, I'm probably going to need more guinea pigs for different programs later on, so if you are ever interested in testing out something strange, let me know).