Ah running. I’ve always had a turbulent relationship with it. I still remember being forced to do cross country at school and hating every minute of it, because I didn’t train correctly or know how to pace myself and I never did well. So I grew up thinking that running was actual torture, never wanting to try it again.

My husband is an avid runner – and he’s good. I mean, his baseline fitness level is half marathon. He runs up mountains and finishes in the top 5 or 10. He lives and breathes running and swears by it for both his physical and mental health. It was his enthusiasm that made me decide that I wanted to learn to run. It’s not that I wasn’t fit – I play netball and love the gym and Pilates – I was just never “running fit” as I call it. So, I googled a couch to 5k plan, and off I went.

The few weeks were gruelling. I was totally in my own head, and I was literally counting down the steps until I could stop even though my body and breathing was fine. It was awful. Then one day it just clicked. I was out running, and for about 5 minutes, my mind wandered away from the running. This was a turning point for me – I felt an amazing sense of wellbeing, being outdoors in the fresh air, lovely views of Cork harbour, thinking about how great life is and the way I felt afterward was just astounding. Even though my plan recommended 5 minutes, I ran for 15 mins that day without stopping. I was absolutely elated. And so my running journey continued. I was never going to run up mountains, or win races, but my baseline 5k fitness level made me really really happy.

So, if you, like me, hate running, or haven’t done it in a while and want to get back into it, here’s a solid couch to 5k plan (credit to NHS) for you to try it and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits (please check in with your GP before starting any new exercise).

Note for pre/post natal women. If you’re pregnant and you’ve never run before, now probably isn’t the time to learn to run. Stick to brisk walking, swimming, Pilates or Yoga, if that’s ok with your GP. If you were running before you were pregnant, you can continue running on the advice of your GP or consultant. If you’re post natal, you should have clearance from your GP to return to running, and before you do, check out this article to make sure you do it safely.

Week 1
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
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
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
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
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
Begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 30 minutes of running.

By now, you should be getting comfortable with the longer runs but you still need to concentrate on completing the 30 minutes without going too fast.

Week 9
begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 5k of running

Well done on reaching your goal!