Writer and runner Kerry Law thought she was done with the Couch to 5K programme, but after losing some of her stamina, she decided to go back to square one and downloaded the app again.

For most of my life, I never considered myself a runner. It was the kind of endurance activity that would leave me clutching my stomach and panting mere minutes into it. So six years ago, in a post-baby drive to boost my energy and overall fitness, I downloaded the Couch to 5K app and vowed to ‘become a runner’. 

That app is brilliant. It’s simple, achievable and inspiring, and it got me, a complete beginner, running for 30 minutes non-stop in nine weeks. I was finally someone who ran.

I didn’t need the app anymore and bounded off on my new routine as a regular jogger. I would run a couple of times a week through my local woods (soaking up all the mental health benefits of exercising in nature), regularly completing a good 30 minutes of non-stop running. Then my attitude changed.

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I’d heard about how short bursts of cardio activity could be just as effective as longer workouts. The NHS recommends we aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, split across four or five sessions (ie 30 minutes). However, a study published in the Journal Of The American Heart Association concluded that shorter bursts of moderate-to-vigorous activity, sustained over roughly 10 minutes, deliver just the same benefits as longer, half-hour workouts. 

I was sold. Juggling work, childcare and life, while also wanting to work out in other ways (swim again, book yoga classes, venture into the gym), meant that dedicating time to longer runs went out of the window.

Shorter runs morphed into an ‘interval running’ approach. Research has found that 15-20 minutes of interval training improves your cardiovascular health just as effectively as 30 minutes of moderate exercise – a fact I found irresistible. My runs started to follow the format of ‘three minutes of running – two minutes of walking – repeat’ for 20 minutes.

But I was always envious of those who could go non-stop for a whole run. When I tried to increase the length of my running time, I was absolutely whacked. I had completely lost the stamina gained after completing Couch to 5K. I was generally much fitter now, having added all kinds of exercise into my week, but the ability to run continuously for a full 30 minutes had disappeared. Was it time to re-do Couch to 5K? 

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What happens when you repeat a training process?

“Using Couch to 5K may feel like a step back, but I would say it’s a step in the right direction. It will help progress your running gradually as you build your stamina and fitness back up,” Ian Scarrott, PT and running coach for PureGym Loughborough, tells Stylist.

“As you go through the programme, you will build back good habits, relearn how to pace yourself so you don’t overcook it and, if you do, it doesn’t matter – some days you’ll feel good when you run, and some days you won’t. Try and see this as a step forward – you’re building back structure and routine, and keeping yourself accountable – which are all positive things.”

Arj Thiruchelvam, head coach at Performance Physique, has supported everyone from novice runners to Team GB Olympians for 17 years now, and he is a big advocate of Couch to 5K – particularly for helping beginners get started. But as for redoing the process after years of running, Thiruchelvam isn’t convinced. 

“Any period of repeating the same effort will result in you stagnating as you become more efficient at the exercise, and eventually the chance of regressing increases,” says Thiruchelvam. “There is a good chance you’ve stopped progressing because you haven’t pushed yourself to the next level with a new, challenging stimulus. Instead, you’re repeating what worked when you first started.”

Thiruchelvam recommends varying the types of intervals performed, such as including faster runs, faster recovery walks (almost jogging) and reducing the recovery time in between intervals. “In sports science we use progressive overload to regularly offer a new stimulus to the body in order for it to physically adapt and develop. You will plateau without this,” he adds.

He agrees that foundational exercises are always beneficial, whatever your experience. High-knee marches and straight leg walks, plus plenty of strength building with squats, calf raises, lunges and weight-bearing exercises, working in multiple planes of motion, will all help improve your running performance. 

Returning to the Couch to 5K programme

But I hadn’t just plateaued, I had regressed – perhaps a little too much to ignore the benefits of returning to Couch to 5K. I needed something to push me beyond my comfort zone. Having the app’s encouraging tones of Jo Whiley or Michael Johnson in my ear, alongside a structured plan, did wonders beforehand. It was time to get reacquainted.

Weeks 1-3

I won’t lie: after completing the first run I skipped weeks one, two and three. With runs from 90 seconds to three minutes tops, week three offered workouts at the level I was already at. I decided that, as an impatient type, spending three precious weeks feeling unchallenged would just leave me frustrated. It was a sensible pay-off for not ‘completing’ the programme the second time around. I will take no further questions.

Week 4

The week that includes runs of five minutes – let’s go! It felt good to push myself beyond my usual limit and the generous walk time of 2.5 minutes was ample recovery for me. Jo Whiley was still cheering me on, so all was good. 

Week 5

Here I am, halfway through the whole programme, and this is the week things really ramp up. After four weeks of repeating the same sets three times a week, week five starts off in a familiar fashion (five minutes of running – three minutes of walking – repeat for 30 mins), but the second session leaps to two runs of eight minutes each.

A friend and I had pushed ourselves to a non-stop eight-minute run recently to see if running together would help us go further. It certainly helps to have a cheerleading chum pushing you on, and maintaining a chat while running is also said to improve stamina, but we can’t run together every time. 

Jo Whiley has a lot of heavy lifting to do here, but using the app is still more effective at motivating me than my own internal monologue. 

As it stands, I have the third run of week five to go – 20 minutes non-stop. It feels a little daunting but the steady progress I’ve remade through Couch to 5K shows that my stamina must have increased – I just need a little more confidence. We often view fitness as a linear, ever-upward line of progress and going back to square one is humbling. But we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves.

“Don’t compare yourself to your past glory. Instead, know what you’ve managed to achieve before and use that to give you hope of what your body is capable of,” says Thiruchelvam. “Don’t rush things; instead, focus on where you’re at today. Most importantly, be consistent, move lots and don’t give up.”

Wish me luck! 

Images: Getty

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