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	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 metres (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 metres (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:   Jog 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 metres (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 metres (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:   Jog 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 metres (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 metres (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 metres (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:   Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 400m (or 3 minutes) Walk 200m (or 90 seconds) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:   Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 3 minutes) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 3 minutes) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:   Jog 1.2km (or 8 minutes) Walk 800m (or 5 minutes) Jog 1.2km (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3.2km (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:   Jog 800m (or 5 minutes) Walk 400m (or 3 minutes) Jog 1.2km (or 8 minutes) Walk 400m (or 3 minutes) Jog 800m (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:   Jog 1.6km (or 10 minutes) Walk 400m or 3 minutes) Jog 1.6km (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3.6km (or 25 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4km (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4km (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4km (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4.5km (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4km (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4.5km (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 4.5km (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 5km (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 5km (or 30 minutes).

 

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.

Cheers,