Couch to 5K plan

The Couch to 5K plan is a plan that will allow you to run 5K (3.1 miles) in a minimum of 9 weeks!  Just Google it, and you will find all sorts of information. 

If you would like to do the Couck to 5K plan, and would like support, post here.  We are all here to support each other and hold each other accountable.  Together, we can do it!

Here is the plan:

Week 1
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk.
-Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk.
-Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
-Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
-Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
-Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
-Walk 400 yards (or 3 minutes)

Week 4
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
-Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
-Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week 5
Workout 1:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Workout 2:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
-Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
-Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
-Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

Workout 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

Week 6
Workout 1:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Workout 2:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
-Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
-Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
-Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)

Workout 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.

Week 7
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
Week 8
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

Week 9
Workout 1, 2 & 3:
-Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). 

I always add a 5-minute cool down at the end.

Happy running! 

themachine-- It will get better!  I am running my first 5k on Thanksgiving and I am running with my sister.  I find the middle of the run is the worst for me.  Just think-- At 2.5 miles you have only .6 miles to go!  That's nothing and motivation to kick it into high gear just to finish!  Good luck!

I just found out about this "Couch to 5k" program and seems like it's very useful in helping train for a 5k.  Is there one out there for a 10k?  I think that is my next goal!

So I have started week 5 and have done workout 1 twice this week so far.  I plan on doing it again tomorrow and then i am going to try out workout 2 on Thursday...I do not know about workout 3...2 miles or 20 mins is a log time to jog so I may be on workout 2 for a while...Did anyone else have trouble going from 3/4 of a mile job to 2 mile jog?

Hello!

 Joined the site on Saturday, started on Sunday w/ the count..  This site was just the thing I needed to get hooked on something.  I enjoy getting back to a computer after a few hours to log my activities and eats. 

I also have not run 100yds since high school. (11 years ago)  and I wasn't exactly athletic then either, so I've been a literal couch potato.  Anyway, I put the podcast on week 1 and hit the trail Monday.  I thought I was going to die when I hit cycle 4, but the music made a big difference in keeping me going. 

I do have significant soreness, including my shins, but I am optimistic that it will subside after a few more sessions.  I've been constantly stretching them all day, but it doesn't seem to do much more than cause me some strangely satisfying pain.  I guess I relate it to the fact that I'm doing something new and I won't necessarily enjoy the beginning stages. 

I'm noticing that most of you have been doing some type of physical activity before starting this program, or have done some in the past.  Is there anyone that has been as lazy as me for the past decade and done nothing but sit and get bigger? 

It might sound like an odd way to motivate myself, but I have always wanted to know just how much my body would react to this type of training.  You can lose weight and work out, but you don't usually see a direct effect on your body very quickly.  With the program, I can see my improvement by how much farther I make it around the course.  I'm excited to attack it tomorrow!

 I'll quit rambling.  Almost everyone I work with is overweight or severely obese, so myself and these forums are my only motivation and 'buddy' to share my success with. :)

 =Corey

Original Post by dark3d:

I'm noticing that most of you have been doing some type of physical activity before starting this program, or have done some in the past.  Is there anyone that has been as lazy as me for the past decade and done nothing but sit and get bigger?   =Corey

Hi Corey!! Glad you found us.

To answer your question - YES!! ME!!!! I was completely sedentary for a couple of years (after being active most of my life). I started working out with a trainer. Baby steps led to taking off 40 lbs.

But I didn't keep it off.... I got sedentary again for about a year and put on about 25 lbs of what I had lost. (I also was eating everything in sight.) I started doing a little exercise here and there a few months ago and am now doing it about 3 times per week. Which is a LOT for me and is about all I can fit in right now. You'll find there are both ends of the spectrum here... some folks who are just starting exercise for the first time ever, others who are already very much in shape and just looking to maintain or simply drop those few extra lbs.

That is what's cool about the couch to 5k program. It seems like it's starting from the very ground up. So it's something that I feel I can tackle -- as opposed to some of the training groups or run clubs I've found which are geared toward folks who can already run pretty well. Running is NOT my thing, even when I was very fit it felt like every single step was a chore. But the flip side is that I feel I get a very good workout. I don't like how I feel while I'm jogging but I love how I feel when I am done, and I like what it does for my body.

Good luck!

Amy

Hi all,

I just decided to start this program! I have NEVER been able to run in my life - I had convinced myself that I couldn't do it, ever since I was a kid. (Corey, I'm with ya!)

Check out my journal post about this if you want:(http://caloriecount.about.com/users/shoeofkur ibo/121582.html)

Anyway, I just started last night with Week 1, Day 1. I took it very slowly, as I've never even jogged before, but I was still quite worked at the end. It felt great, and I'm so proud! I can't wait until tomorrow to keep the program going. I'm doing something I never thought I could do, and I know I'll be able to make the progress this way.

P.S. - I've heard a few people mention what speeds they use on the treadmill. Could you guys give me an idea of what speeds you started at? I'm just curious to what's 'normal', and what I should be building up to. Thanks!

shoeofkuribo -- I started at 3.5 mph for the walking and 5.0 for the jogging.  But, I found that once I got into Week 4, I could not sustain 5.0 mph for 5 minutes.  So, I jogged at 4.5-4.8 until I could work myself back up to 5.0. 

So, I would just say listen to your body because there is no "normal" speed.  It's all about what works for you.  I hope this helps!

I started this program in February listening to the podcasts. Week 1 was really hard for me.  Week two was hard too, but week 1 was now too easy.  Sneaky podcasts!  Anyway, long story short, I'm now running 3.3 miles, 3 days a week.  My resting heart rate is down from 65 to 50. And I don't get winded on stairs anymore.

Short story long:  I got through weeks 1, 2 and 3, but I was afraid to move on to week 4 because week 3 seemed so hard.  Also I was traveling so my schedule was weird.  Eventually I moved on to 4, and then 5 (scary!), and 6.  I didn't like the music much so I switched to my own music and just stayed on week 6 (2 miles) for a while.

I had switched to running on the treadmill for incline consistency, but this worked against me.  It was too easy to quit any time I felt I had gone "far enough".  Recently I started running outside on a long circuit with a run buddy instead of on our 1/2 mile track.  It makes a big difference.  And it's hard.  Much of it is uphill (horrible!) and the downhills are not noticeably easy.  But the benefit is that I can't quit.  I mean, I can stop and walk back to the start, but it takes so long, I figure I might as well run it.  

Anyway, I'm rambling.  Bottom line: if my couch potato butt can do this, so can yours!  Go at your own pace, and focus on time more than distance.  Some people physically can't run at 6mph, so this will help you stay with the program without overdoing it too soon.

 

so i started running last week...did sprint/walk intervals...

working on week 2.   yay!  perhaps i'll even slow my sprints down to increase my long-distance endurance.  sound like a plan?

I did the last workout of Week 1 today, a little bit late because there was a snowstorm over the weekend. Today I walked at 3.2 mph and jogged at 4.3, but I think you're right, guys, and I'll just keep it slow for now (as long as I'm still doing it!) and work up to higher speeds as I get better at it.

I am sooo glad I found this thread!  I am doing a very similar program, that a friend gave me from Europe (it is pretty similar but the running/walking ratio is sometimes different than the coach to 5k one).  I just finished day 1 or week 3 and I LOVE this program.  I have NEVER been able to run very much (probably more than 5 minutes at a time) and now I am really doing it!  I feel really positive that after this program I will be able to run the 30 minutes with no problem.  One thing I am worried about is going on vacation on the 22nd, and not being able to stick to the program carefully until after the 1st (when I get back).  Any tips for this?  I currently run on a treadmill, and have a really hard time running outside when it is so cold.  I am really excited to get active in this thread and see how everyone progresses!

I started week 2 today, and I'm feeling great. It's just enough harder than week 1 to challenge me, but it's still very manageable. I'm planning to hit the gym almost every day - probably even on christmas eve - and this program is really giving me something to work towards, so I love it!

Hi everyone!! Welcome to the newbies!!! I haven't posted on here in so long mostly cause my life went haywire...unfortunatly the haywire life made me gain back 5lbs in a month and now some of my christmas presents are tight...this will not do...so with any luck i will get out of work before 530 and be able to start back on week 5....i was not able to run the 2 miles before but i did run 1.5 miles...i am hoping that if i can run today that i will still be able to do this and maybe even the 2 miles by saturday....

 

i'm technically on week three, but i've been changing up the runs a little.

one is a mile jog [6.0 mph], then an interval of sprinting [8.0mph]/walking [4.0mph]

one is an interval of jogging/running for 20 min [5.0-6.4mph]

one is just jogging for 20 min at my THR [165, which happens to fall between 5.0-5.6mph]

i'm going to attempt week 4 as soon as i get over this stupid sickness.