Couch to 5k

Thanks for the runners world link it looks a easier way to start.🙂

Am I the only one who finds this sort of exercise incredibly boring? I much preferred a sprint to long distance when I was at school and often won the 100 yds and hurdles on sports day. I do find most exercises boring, when I finally got some physio after breaking my hip I used to lose count before I even got to 10 reps I was so bored with it. I don't think there's any hope for me....

Running in older years seems to inevitably end up with injury. Surely swimming, yoga and walking are safer?

I’m 79. I cannot run owing to osteoarthritis and replaced knees and one hip but I regularly walk four or five miles at a good pace. I always feel better for it once everything has stopped aching!!!

I’m 76 and tried it a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed the buzz I got from running but only got half way into the programme when I started to get quite bad pain in one knee so I gave up. My chiropractor said I should have kept going and the knee pain would have passed but I chickened out.
It took six months before my knee felt right again.

I did it 3 years ago, with a view to running 3k for the Race for Life. Unfortunately that was cancelled, so instead I ran the 3k around the Sports Ground in my village on my 73rd birthday. The app on my daughter's phone monitored the distance. I continued to run and fell over and broke my ankle. Six weeks later I started the C25K again and managed to complete the Race for Life at a jog in 2021.

I do park run every Saturday so I walk a bit run a bit and that is great! Our volunteers are very supportive! I recommend it !!

My sister did it and is now doing a half marathon today! She is more motivated than me. I really need to get off my derriere.

I started it twice, getting to week three. Both times, I was thwarted by bad bouts of Covid that took me out of action for a couple of months, but I found the programme to be very good. You progress at your own pace and they encourage you to repeat a week as often as you need to if you reach one that feels too much.

I've done C25K a couple of times. I'm 67 now and really enjoyed it but confess that once I reached that amazing goal of running for 30mins (not 5k though) I didn't keep it up.
I ran slowly. I had watched videos of the benefits of slow running. I enjoyed Sanjeev Kohli as my guide and listened to 70s playlists!
I would really give it a go. I invested in slightly better running trainers, tried to go out first thing before breakfast and only carried my phone.
I better start again!

I have. It was really great for me. I’m in my 60,s with some heart disease. I’m still running

You might find None to Run better - it’s a slightly longer programme, with a focus on time rather than distance (and thus pace). It also has some strength and mobility exercises built in, which C25K doesn’t.

You can download the programme free, but if you want to use the app (which has motivational stuff etc) there is a charge.

Or Runners World magazine have a 12 week ‘30 minutes walk to 30 minutes run’ programme. There are some flexibility exercises on this page too:

www.runnersworld.com/beginner/a31707889/best-beginner-running-plan/

Both of these can be done more slowly, and are a bit gentler, especially early on, than C25K.

If you have self discipline you should be ok