The Couch to 5k Program!

Brandon and I have both decided to start a workout regimen that includes Basketball twice a week for him, and ZUMBA! three times a week for me; but we wanted something that we could also do together! He doesn't like group classes, and I don't like group sports, so after talking to Amanda about an idea to get Brandon's entire family together to do a 5k, I started doing some research.

First, some background. I do NOT run. I'm not good at it...I'm slow..have bad-ish ankles, and hate the sun. I like the way it makes me feel, but I'd rather walk for 3 miles, and take 45 minutes than run for 30! So, I knew that if I was going to have any chance at sticking with this, I was going to need a program that eased me into it. Brandon wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but once I showed him the program, he got into it an even made a pod-cast for our first workout (but we ended up using the iphone app instead..more about that later).


So, the actual program...Essentially, you start with a 5 minute warm up, run for 60 seconds, walk for 90, repeat the 60/90 part for 20 minutes, and then walk for another 5 minutes to cool down. As the 9 week program progresses, you add more time running, and more time walking, then more time running, less time walking, etc, until you're running for a full 3.1 miles. There are two ways you can measure your success...either by time or by distance. Since I'm a slow runner, I am going by distance, and since Brandon is a fast runner, he's going by time. So even though we're doing this together, most of the time I'm going to be chasing him..which is actually a great motivator for me!

If you're interested to check out the plan some more, or want to join us in doing this, here's the link to the program we're trying.

The Couch to 5K Program


 Next up: Our first run.. ah!