Treadmill Walkers? This post is for you…

Just a few months ago, I used to be one of those girls. You know, the ones who walk on the treadmill clutching both sides terrified of tripping and falling, envying all the people who just let go and run.

And then I discovered an easy way to get started…

Discovered http://www.runnergirlsindia.com/ which helps you get started in a very easy way, and before you know it, you are running 5km in 30 minutes.

The Couch to 5k plan is very simple and straight-forward. At first, it combines short bursts of running with walking, and then slowly ups your running time. Below is the plan I followed (taken from runnergirlsindia.com):

Week 1:

For the runs in Week 1, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then you will alternate 60 seconds of running, with 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2:

For the runs in Week 2, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then you will alternate 90 seconds of running, with 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3:

For the runs in Week 3, you will begin with brisk 5-minute warm-up walk followed by 2 repetitions of the following; 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking.

Week 4:

For the runs in Week 4, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running, 2 ½ minutes walking, 3 minutes running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running.

Week 5:

There are three different workouts for this week. They are as follows:
Run 1: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running.
Run 2: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 8 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, 8 minutes running.
Run 3: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 20 minutes running, with no walking.

Week 6:

As with Week 5, there are three different runs for this week.
Run 1: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 8 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running.
Run 2: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 10 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 10 minutes running
Run 3: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 25 minutes with no walking.

Week 7:

For the runs in Week 7, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 25 minutes of running.

From now on, the plan gets you used to running for solid blocks of time, without the distraction of walking intervals.

Week 8:

For the runs in Week 8, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 28 minutes of running.

By now, you should be getting comfortable with the longer runs but you still need to concentrate on completing the 28 minutes without going too fast.

Week 9:

For the runs in Week 9, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 30 minutes of running.

You’ve nearly reached the end of your programme and you’ve made some great progress. This is the week when you can reach your goal. Well done!

At first, it looked impossible that I could run for 30 minutes continuously, when I was puffing and panting for just a 5-minute run. But, gradually my stamina improved, and now I can consistently run for 30 minutes.

It’s amazing how good you feel after a run. I don’t feel tired at all; in fact feel more fresh and ready to start the day.

Do consider following this plan. It is not as difficult as it appears to be, and you will see massive changes in your well-being.