You’ve probably clicked on this post for one of two reasons -

(If it’s neither of these well ... hello, welcome!)

Like many others; I’m using lockdown as a time to hone some new hobbies and interests and since I’m shacked up in my family home in sunny South Wales as opposed to my usual concrete jungle London home, I thought I’d take advantage of getting outside more. So, queue me, downloading (or should I say re-downloading since I had it in the past but never got round to it oops) the Couch to 5k app and thinking I’d finally give it a whirl.

Now I’m no fitness guru, I‘ve tried classes and gym sessions before. I’m hardly one to get up bright and early for a class before my already busy day. I get out of breath running from one train platform to another, but I thought let’s take advantage of my one form of government-sanctioned exercise and the lovely scenery and get out. 9 weeks later here I am - confidently running for 30 minutes at a time and loving every second (well not quite but I’m not cursing out loud anymore!). 

So let's go onto my experience peppered with some advice - I can't say I'm a gospel on all that is running, but this is what has helped me!

TIP ONE: No gear, no idea

As we established above, I'm a generally unfit person and not a big lover of exercise, and I never thought I'd be sticking to running, let alone writing about it or giving advice if you can call it that. It's no mean feat to go from sitting on your bum to training yourself up to run - it is hard work. So I'll level with you, the first and most important piece of advice I can give you is BUY A PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES. These will not only make you feel like the real deal - Usain Bolt anyone? - but also will save you from injury.  Choose a solid, sensible pair - usually those specifically for sports are best as they will help keep aches and pains away. I purchased a Puma pair, which do the job very nicely.

If you are going to invest in any other gear I'd suggest a good pair of leggings and a supportive sports bra. I personally have dug into the archives of my wardrobe to find all my old baggy well-worn and loved t-shirts to wear including a very fetching Moana number - très chic.

TIP TWO: Rest, recover and stretch!

Now the Couch to 5k app encourages you to take breaks or recuperation days between runs and I can't recommend this enough. Especially as a beginner, three runs per week is more than enough and the 9-week plan instils this into your brain not only so you think it's achievable, but also because its manageable and stops you getting injured! 

Leaving a day in between runs certainly helps with the recovery, and you can even take longer between runs if you're injured - trust me, from someone who injured their knee, continuing to run whilst hurt is not going to help anyone.  

I can't recommend stretching after your run more unless I use caps so STRETCH AFTER YOUR RUN. I use some NHS approved stretches which you can find here and touch wood, I haven't had any injuries since. 

My other advice? Don't underestimate the power of a power walk! The app gets you to do a 5-minute warm-up and this is a real opportunity to stretch and warm up your muscles - don't take it for granted! A few of my friends who've also used the app recommend using foam rollers to help prevent shin splints and to ease your muscles. 

TIP THREE: Timing isn't everything (neither is losing weight)

Exercise doesn't have to equal weight-loss, or about achieving your goal body-type. For me, running has become something that helps my mental health, and helps me find a moment of zen. I can push myself to do something I never thought I'd be able to do which makes me feel SO accomplished, and also running is a great form of escapism (especially if, like me, you use it as an opportunity to listen to your favourite music or podcast. My playlist includes the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, George Michael and One Direction FYI, and trust me having some cheesy tunes to bop to makes all the difference, I'm pretty sure they make up some of the endorphins and happy feels I get after completing a 5k).

Now you may be coming to the end of Couch to 5k, or maybe you're at the beginning and looking ahead you're like how the hell am I going to run 5k in 30 minutes? The truth of the matter is, you don't have to. As long as you can continue running for the full 30 minutes the app trains you for, improving on distance can come at a later date. Whilst I can personally run a 5k in around 29 to 31 minutes, that won't be the same for everyone, and that's not a bad thing. Just keep running for the allotted time, you're doing great.

TIP FOUR: Just keep swimming running

My final tip of this post is to 'just keep running' and I don't mean quite literally never stop running, or give yourself an injury, but I mean keep up the pattern of getting out for a run often as the app has trained you to do. Set yourself an achievable goal - your initial one was perhaps 'to start running' or 'to complete couch to 5k' and now its time to set a new one. Perhaps you'd like to train for a 5k run in your area or build up to being able to run a 10k race or half-marathon (if this is you, I salute you).

I've personally set myself the goal of trying to maintain running 3-4 times a week. I've downloaded the MapMyRun app to keep track of my distance and speed now that I don't need the training podcast. The app is great at telling you your average speed, showing where you've travelled on a handy map and also allows you to compare your current run with previous ones. I've set mine to give me an alert when I've covered 5k in distance, and then I can just stick my headphones in, hit play on my music and get in the zone.

So that's it, I hoped you enjoyed my rambling summary of how I, Chlo, went from couch potato extraordinaire to running enthusiast (kinda).

Kisses,

Chloe