Welcome everyone to the New Year! I can’t believe we’re already three weeks into 2024. It seems like yesterday we watched the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 33 to 10 and rattled off our next year’s resolutions and goals before the shiny silver ball dropped at midnight. For the record, I’m not a Packers fan, but a discouraged one for the Carolina Panthers.
Some people might have chosen their resolutions and goals to become more positive, score their dream job, eat more vegetables, write a thriller novel, win the lottery, etc. I wish and hope for success in whatever you want to accomplish this year. One of my goals is to get back into running, more specifically, getting back into running a 5K. A 5K is my desired running distance.
Running is an activity I haven’t been able to do for several years. First, there was Achilles tendinitis that I had to rehab through, then I had post-COVID respiratory problems, and most recently, gout. Yes, that dirty, dirty gout. I wrote a post all about that if you want to check it out. Now, I feel healthy enough to get back in the movement.
I’m looking forward to all the positives and benefits running gave me before that list of previous medical ailments. Running helped me lose weight, improved my mental health, gave me confidence, and got me outside when it wasn’t (brrrr) freezing, to name a few. These are all things I can use more of in 2024.
My goal begins with picking a Couch to 5K training plan. A Couch to 5K plan takes a nonrunning individual like me through weekly run-walk interval training to build up the running endurance we need to run a 5K or 3.1 miles. I’m going with a running plan from Runner’s World. This Couch to 5K can be found using this link:
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/5km/a760067/six-week-beginner-5k-schedule/
I really like the workout schedule in this Couch to 5K plan. It reminds me of some of the other beginner ones I followed before. But I will adjust mine slightly and expand the Runner’s World six-week program to eight weeks. I’m going to add two weeks by repeating weeks one and two. I will also start each workout with a five-minute brisk walk and not adhere to the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday schedule outlined in the Runner’s World article. I need to be a little bit flexible within my weeks and will get them in when able with a rest day between.
Here is my amended Couch to 5K plan based on the Runner’s World six-week beginner 5K schedule.
| WEEK | WORKOUT 1 | WORKOUT 2 | WORKOUT 3 |
| 1 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 1 mins | Run 2 mins | Run 2 mins | |
| Walk 1 mins | Walk 4 mins | Walk 4 mins | |
| Repeat x10 | Repeat x 5 | Repeat x 5 | |
| 2 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 1 mins | Run 2 mins | Run 2 mins | |
| Walk 1 mins | Walk 4 mins | Walk 4 mins | |
| Repeat x10 | Repeat x 5 | Repeat x 5 | |
| 3 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 3 mins | Run 3 mins | Run 5 mins | |
| Walk 3 mins | Walk 3 mins | Walk 3 mins | |
| Repeat x4 | Repeat x4 | Repeat x 3 | |
| 4 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 3 mins | Run 3 mins | Run 5 mins | |
| Walk 3 mins | Walk 3 mins | Walk 3 mins | |
| Repeat x4 | Repeat x4 | Repeat x 3 | |
| 5 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 7 mins | Run 8 mins | Run 8 mins | |
| Walk 2 mins | Walk 2 mins | Walk 2 mins | |
| Repeat x 3 | Repeat x 3 | Repeat x 3 | |
| 6 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 8 mins | Run 10 mins | Run 8 mins | |
| Walk 2 mins | Walk 2 mins | Walk 2 mins | |
| Repeat x 3 | Repeat x 2 | Repeat x 3 | |
| Run 5 mins | |||
| 7 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk |
| Run 9 mins | Run 12 mins | Run 8 mins | |
| Walk 1 mins | Walk 2 mins | Walk 2 mins | |
| Repeat x 3 | Repeat x 2 | Repeat x 3 | |
| Run 5 mins | |||
| 8 | Begin with five minute warmup walk | Begin with five minute warmup walk | 5K |
| Run 15 mins | Run 8 mins | ||
| Walk 1 mins | Walk 2 mins | ||
| Repeat x 2 | Repeat x 3 |
That’s the Couch to 5K schedule I plan to start this week for the next two months. Steal it if you want. Hopefully, this spring, I’ll be kicking a race’s butt. I mean being able to complete a 5K race without stopping and cross this off this year’s goal list. My last race was “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” Something like that, and I finished between 27 and 28 minutes. I need to confirm that even though I can’t do that anymore. I’m no Flash these days.
So, once again, good luck with all your 2024 endeavors. I look forward to being a fitter and less stressed person.
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