> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.mattrutherford.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Couch to 5km - lessons for beginners
- URL: https://www.mattrutherford.co.uk/couch-to-5km-lessons-for-beginners/
- Published: 2018-07-30T08:13:57.000Z
- Updated: 2023-12-04T22:05:50.000Z
- Author: Matt
- Tags: Blog

I'm over halfway through the [Couch to 5km programme](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/?ref=mattrutherford.co.uk), it's the first time I have undertaken a fitness challenge like this one. I'm not a natural runner, so it has taken some effort to get here, but as I was running this morning, I was thinking about what I have learned so far on this journey.

1. It's OK to reset, it's not OK to give up - at the end of week one, I thought I had made a mistake. I was suffering with painful ankles and calves and I started to entertain that idea that I couldn't do this. A bit of investigation and research and I came up with an alternative approach that reduced the pain and kept me going.
2. If you need to repeat a week, do that - whilst I was researching, I kept repeating week 2, making small changes each time to see what would work. I did week two a total of three times before I felt I could move on.
3. Prepare properly - it seems obvious, but stretches and the right equipment can be the difference. The pain I felt in Week 1 and 2 were alleviated by getting[ shoes with more support for my 'over pronating' feet](https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/gel-kayano-24/p/T749N-5656.html?width=Standard&ref=mattrutherford.co.uk), better socks and then [finding a stretching regime that really works for me.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zs4hh4cp98&t=1s&ref=mattrutherford.co.uk)
4. Take it slowly - a bit like lesson 2, it's OK to do this at your pace and ignore everyone else. Watching other runners is fatal, they are all better than me - so trying to keep up with a pace that is anything other than mine is not a good move.
5. Reward yourself - I promised myself a [new pair of cheap earbuds](https://www.anker.com/es/products/variant/SoundBuds-Slim-Bluetooth-Headphone/A3235011?ref=mattrutherford.co.uk) when I got to week 5 / run 3, two thirds of the way through the programme. It felt like a milestone to run 20 minutes, and so I treated myself to a prize. Now, I'm thinking about what to get myself at the end of week 9.

So far, the programme has been hard but the results have surprised me - in week 1 I struggled to run for 60 seconds and never thought I would get to run for 20 minutes. I have a way to go before I can hit 30 mins, and then a full 5km - but I'm confident with this programme, I'll get there.