I remember when I first learned about Couch to 5k. I was with some new friends I had made when I moved to Buffalo, NY and we were talking about our interests. One of them was an avid runner and gearing up for her first marathon. The other was just a few steps ahead of me—he told me he started “Couch to 5k.”
I had the usual questions: “What’s that? How far is 5k?”
I had the usual questions: “What’s that? How far is 5k?”
He told me all about it. Couch to 5k is a running program that you can do on your own and it just gives you times to walk and then run. You slowly build up over the course of about two months, and at the end you’re ready to do a 5k. I’d never thought about it, but I had recently quit smoking (for the last time ever!) and thought that maybe giving running a try would be fun. I mean, not fun like Cedar Point fun, but maybe fun-ish, and it would give me my lungs back.
I went home quietly and Googled couch to 5k. I found a ton of resources! I had no idea that running was so popular. There are many similar programs out there, but they all have a similar idea: build up to running a lot by pushing yourself a little at a time. The program I picked looked the easiest: run for sixty seconds, walk for two minutes. I didn’t know much about running, but I was confident I could run sixty seconds.
I got up early one day a few weeks later and decided I’d actually try, before any of my neighbors were up. I used my watch and did the intervals. I didn’t think it would be very hard. After a few of them, huffing and puffy and looking like a sweaty tomato, I realized how out of shape I was. That just made me want to work harder!
I’ve heard so many people say that Couch to 5k or No Boundaries is how they got into running, and I really can’t express how grateful I am that these things exist. The other thing I’m grateful for is the invitation to become a runner. Sometimes all it takes is an invitation. You never know who is going to become your loyal running buddy! It might be the out of shape lady who just quit smoking and doesn’t know how far 5k is!
How did you get into running? Were you a late bloomer like me, or a young track team member?
I went home quietly and Googled couch to 5k. I found a ton of resources! I had no idea that running was so popular. There are many similar programs out there, but they all have a similar idea: build up to running a lot by pushing yourself a little at a time. The program I picked looked the easiest: run for sixty seconds, walk for two minutes. I didn’t know much about running, but I was confident I could run sixty seconds.
I got up early one day a few weeks later and decided I’d actually try, before any of my neighbors were up. I used my watch and did the intervals. I didn’t think it would be very hard. After a few of them, huffing and puffy and looking like a sweaty tomato, I realized how out of shape I was. That just made me want to work harder!
I’ve heard so many people say that Couch to 5k or No Boundaries is how they got into running, and I really can’t express how grateful I am that these things exist. The other thing I’m grateful for is the invitation to become a runner. Sometimes all it takes is an invitation. You never know who is going to become your loyal running buddy! It might be the out of shape lady who just quit smoking and doesn’t know how far 5k is!
How did you get into running? Were you a late bloomer like me, or a young track team member?