What to know before starting Couch to 5K C25K - Runningversity (2024)

Lots of people struggle when they start to run because they do too much too soon, wonder why it’s all so hard and don’t bother learning how to physically move their body or breathe properly while they are running. C25K apps tell you how much run/walk to do on any particular day, but they don’t teach you how to run in an easy, relaxed way. This article will explain what to know before starting Couch to 5K. Before – so that you stick with it. After – so that you carry on with your running journey. It will also talk about our Running For Beginners course that we believe is better than C25K because it teaches you how to run properly, so that you enjoy running.

Why do you want to start running?

Lots of people choose to start running to lose weight, or as part of a weight loss plan. If that’s you, let’s set some expectations before you start. You may or may not lose weight while you do any beginner running plan like C25K. You might look different in the mirror though! Your legs might lose fat and tone up, as might the rest of you, unless you start eating more than normal. However, 30 minutes exercise, three times a week isn’t going to make a huge difference straight away, so you’ll definitely want to think of running as a longer term project. Start imagining now what you’ll be like in twelve months time.

Before you start something like Couch to 5K or our Running for Beginners, you should think about the deeper reason you want to start running. If it’s for weight loss, why do you want to lose weight? Or… Perhaps it just seems like a good idea (it is!!) Or… Perhaps you want to eventually join a running club to meet new people in your area. Or… Perhaps you just want to try something new and fun (yes, running should mostly be fun!! Don’t listen to the internet influencers that tell you running is a constant hard grind). At the more extreme end of the spectrum of driving reasons, perhaps you have been told your life is at risk if you don’t start being more active. Once you have a handle on what is really driving you to start running, I’m sure you can guess that it will be a lot easier to have the discipline to keep going through the course and to keep going afterwards to reach you longer term goals.

Discipline for Couch to 5K Before and during!

What’s all this “discipline” stuff? I just want to run!!

Running is a skill. It takes time for your body to adapt to new skills. While you are learning it and the body is changing to adapt to the new things you are asking it to do, some days are going to be easy and some days are going to be less easy. This doesn’t ever stop really. Even elite athletes find the same. On the days where your motivation is low, you just need the discipline to think long term and get out there and do it anyway. Even if the run seems a bit hard, the sense of achievement afterwards will be fun! On the days when the runs seem easy, you’ll feel amazing – and the more you practice, the more often those amazing runs will happen, until they become the norm. Maybe you’ll even start to experience that “runners’ high”.

The better your discipline, the easier it will be to keep going after you finish your beginner running course too. You will have formed a strong habit and be ready to improve long term. So form a close link between your real “Why” and your discipline so that building that habit is easier.

What else do I need to know before starting Couch to 5K?

How do you know if you are ready to start a beginner running course? Easy: Can you walk non-stop at a brisk pace for an hour?

• If yes, you are ready to start running*.
• If no, do our Walk Before You Run course and come back to running once you’ve nailed that.

*If there are any medical reasons to consider before you start a couch to 5K plan, you probably already know about them already, but if you are in any way unsure, get checked out by a doctor. They will be happy you are wanting to start running, and will be able to give you the right advice.

Plans normally involve alternating between Running and Walking. You’ll do more walking than running to start with. Were you aware of this? As you progress over the weeks, the amount you walk will reduce and and the amount you run will increase. Part way through the plan, you’ll run non-stop and then follow the plan to do more over time.

What most people don’t realise is that the “5K” is a bit of a red herring. The real goal on most C25K apps and on our Running for beginners course is to reach 30 minutes of non-stop running. Most people will not reach 5K the first time they run non-stop for 30 minutes. Some will, but they are the minority and this can be quite demoralising if you aren’t prepared for it – it’s one of the reasons many people stop running as soon as they finish their plan. So now you know, you’ll be cool with it, right?! Instead, think of it as “Couch to 30 minutes running” and you’ll have achieved your medium term running goal and be ready to carry on improving.

During Couch to 5K

Being told how much to run/walk each week is a good start, but really you need to know HOW to run. What to do with your legs. What to do with your arms. Correct running form is a skill. Most people get it wrong and once you form a bad habit, it’s incredibly difficult to break. On our beginner running course we cover the basics so that you start with the best possible chance of looking like a great runner, even when you are just starting out and running slowly. This is why we believe it’s a much better option than C25K.

For people that have already been running for a while, we have a course on how to have correct running form that goes into far more detail to get it dialled in. If you know any runners, please tell them about it, especially if they look like they shuffle when the run, or worry about tripping.

Loads of people finish C25K and stop running. If you are reading this and taking on board the advice, that won’t be you! But why would anyone stop running?

1. They haven’t set long term goals.
2. They don’t know what to do next.

Our Beginner running course covers both of these with you so that you know what you are aiming at long term before you finish the course and you know what to do to reach those goals after finishing the course.

What else can you expect after you finish? Well, great news! – the running will get easier as any weight creeps off and / or your body adapts to be stronger. Your improvements in the first six to twelve months will be astonishing. A runner that has been training for years might only knock a couple of seconds off their 5K time and feel ecstatic, whereas you’ll regularly knock minutes off your time when you run consistently and recover consistently.

That last point is so important. Recovery is a vastly important part of any running program. Personally we feel that a nine week plan to 30 minutes running is too fast for many people and the drop-out rate from the NHS C25K app tells the same story. So many people start it over and over, never actually finishing it. There’s a huge jump in the middle and it ramps up and up for 9 weeks. What’s the solution though?

Our beginner running plan is 11 weeks. It ramps up more gently and includes an “easy” week in the middle so that the body gets time to recover properly before ramping up again. It might take longer, but patience and consistency are the keys to successful running. That concept of gradual build up and regular easy weeks for successful running is one of the things explained in the lessons on how to progress your running after you complete the course.

So that you can be prepared and plan ahead, there’s more detail here on what to do after Couch to 5K.

5K to 10K? 5K to fun?

Everyone has different long term goals for their running. 5K might seem like a distant dream at the moment, but it will arrive surprisingly quickly. Think about what will give you most fun from your running, because ultimately, running should be fun.