Nine weeks, three runs a week, in a group
Couch to 5k
Nine weeks from walking to running five kilometres, three times a week with a group and a coach: run-walk intervals that grow slowly, on the flat seafront.
If you have never run, or not since school, this is where to start. Nobody in the group can run when they arrive. Nearly everyone can run five kilometres when they leave.
Week one is a minute of running and ninety seconds of walking, eight times. By week nine it is thirty minutes of running without stopping. In between, every week is a little more than the last, and repeating a week is normal and allowed.
The group meets at the lighthouse on Monday and Wednesday at 6:30pm and Saturday at 9am, and runs the flat promenade towards Trecco Bay and back. A coach runs at the back every session.
If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant or have been told to be careful by a doctor, see your GP before you start, and tell us. Most people can run; some need to start more slowly.
What is included
- Three coached group sessions a week for nine weeks
- A coach at the back of every session
- A printed plan and a weekly email
- Advice on shoes before you buy any
- A celebrated 5k at the end of week nine
What it costs
£60 for the nine weeks, everything included. Every price is on the services page; the race predictor works out your training paces.
Questions about couch to 5k
I am very overweight. Can I do it?
Yes. Several people in every group are. We start with more walking and nobody minds.
What if I miss a week?
Repeat the last week you finished. The plan bends.
What do I need?
Trainers you can walk comfortably in and clothes you can move in. Do not buy expensive shoes until week three.
Your first club run is free. Tuesday, 6:30, the lighthouse.
Turn up five minutes early and find a coach in a teal jacket. There are four pace groups and a back marker who finishes last on purpose, so whatever your pace, you will not be running on your own.