Nine weeks, three runs a week, £30, the Taff Trail at the end
Couch to 5k
Nine weeks from walking to running 5k, with Osian: one coached run a week from the bandstand on Tuesday at 6:30pm, two more on your own from the plan, a group that waits for the slowest, and a 5k along the Taff Trail together at the end. £30.
Couch to 5k is the NHS-style walk-run plan, done in a group so you do not quietly stop in week four. Osian runs it from the bandstand every Tuesday; you do the other two runs on your own or with someone from the group, and tick them off.
Week one is sixty seconds of running and ninety of walking, eight times, on the flat paths round the park. By week five it is twenty minutes of running; by week nine it is thirty, or 5k, whichever comes first. The coached run is at the pace of the slowest person, with Osian at the back, and nobody is ever on their own on the path.
The group ends with a 5k together along the Taff Trail towards Trefforest and back, and most people move into the Saturday parkrun or the bootcamp afterwards. If your knees, hips or back have opinions, tell us before week one and check with your GP or physio; walking breaks are allowed for ever.
What you get
- Nine weeks, one coached run a week
- The plan for two runs on your own
- Osian at the back, every run
- Flat park paths and the Taff Trail
- A group 5k at the end
- New groups in January, April and September
What it costs
£30 for nine weeks: a coached group run every Tuesday at 6:30pm and the plan for the other two. New groups start in January, April and September. The prices page works out the cheapest way to pay for how often you will come.
Questions about couch to 5k
I cannot run for a minute.
Then week one will feel hard and week three will feel possible. Everyone who has said that and kept coming has finished.
What shoes do I need?
Running shoes that fit, not fashion trainers. You do not need expensive ones; ask Osian at the first run.
Your first session is free. See you at the bandstand.
Tell us which sessions suit and we reply within the hour between sessions with a time. Come ten minutes early, in trainers and layers, and whoever is leading will show you round and give you the easiest version of everything.