Beyond5k

Why I Never Believed in New Year’s Resolutions – Until I Did

I’d never been one for New Year’s resolutions, if I want to do something, or think I should be doing something differently, I usually do it immediately. Why wait for New Year? For a reason that now seems ridiculous (I thought my target shooting might improve with a lower resting heart rate), in late 2019 I decided to take up running, asked for a pair of trainers for Christmas, and set myself a New Year’s resolution to complete “Couch to 5k”. This was a significant and somewhat unusual commitment for me, having had 2 knee operations and having convinced myself that running would further destroy them.

Buying My First Pair of Running Shoes: A Lesson in Humility

The first task was to use my Christmas IOU to buy some trainers. I had never owned a pair of running trainers before, so off I went to a running shop in Guildford to get some professional advice. It was not the most auspicious start. I was quizzed about my running style – do I pronate, do I supinate, do I heel strike, do I mid-foot strike? I had no idea what they were talking about, but not wanting to appear too ignorant I though about it and concluded that I must heel strike. After all, when I run I stick my foot out in front of me and put it on the ground, when I run faster I stick my foot out even further, so how on earth could I do anything other than heel strike? Oh the ignorance of a non-runner!

To clear up matters regarding my running style, I was put on a treadmill with a camera pointing at my feet. Even this simple act was quite daunting – I had never run on a treadmill and I felt quite self conscious. The initial questions were answered and it was determined that I did not pronate or supinate and I do not heel strike, so a pair of entry level Brookes were purchased. I left the shop delighted with my trainers, but troubled as to how and why my analysis of how my foot hits the ground was so wrong.

Couch to 5K: How Hard Could It Be?

It seemed simple enough — a structured, gradual way to build up from being a complete non-runner to completing a 5K. I had been a cyclist for many years and had completed both the London Ride 100 and the Dragon Ride several times, so thought it should be a “jog in the park”! My neighbour, a mere 5 years younger than me, was doing sub 20mins for 5k and did Ride London slower than me, so how hard could it be? The app promised I’d go from gasping for breath on my couch to effortlessly running for 30 minutes in just a few weeks. I downloaded it with optimism, put on my brand new trainers, and stepped out on 8th January 2020, ready to transform into a runner.

Reality hit fast.

The Brutal Reality of the First Run

The first session seemed like it should be easy — sixty seconds of running followed by ninety seconds of walking. I had cycled 160k in 5 hours 15 mins, so a few minutes of running should be easy. I cannot understate how wrong I was – by the third or fourth run segment, my legs were hurting, my lungs were on fire, and I was questioning every decision that had led me to this moment. How could something so many people did for fun feel so impossible? My feet hit the ground awkwardly (I kept thinking about my feet, was I heel striking?), my breath came in ragged bursts, and I begged Jo Wiley to count down the seconds until I could stop. Jo’s cheerful voice telling me I was “doing great” felt insulting and disingenuous.

Unexpected Pain: A New Set of Aches

The pain I felt after the first session was but nothing compared with the next day. I expected my knees to hurt, but no, it was my hips – incredible pain where I had never had pain before. I thought there must be something wrong with me and in that first week I genuinely doubted whether or not I would get through the program. I have subsequently learned that it was probably my hip-flexors that were being exercised for the first time in over 40 years.

Slow Progress and Painful Milestones

As the weeks went by, progress was both painful and painfully slow. Some people breeze through Couch to 5K in the recommended eight weeks. Not me. On many days I struggled to push through the pain in my hips, but I never stopped. I had to repeat several weeks because I took too much of a break to move on, but I kept going. Each week my dread of the increase in run time reduced.

My First 5K: Victory at a Price

It took me till 11th June 2020 to run my first 5k and I set myself a target of 30 mins. It took me 30:14, and it is perhaps a mark of my determination that in order to achieve this my average heart rate was 171, peaking at 182! Another interesting statistic for this run was that my average cadence was a mere 157. That first 5k was incredibly challenging, and without any frame of reference or prior experience to guide me on improving, I couldn’t comprehend or visualize how I might ever get faster or find enjoyment in running.

Below is the Strava record of my first 5K – the blue line is pace, the red is my heart rate.

What Comes After Couch to 5K? I Had No Idea

Finishing the program didn’t give me clarity on what came next. I had ticked a box, but was not really sure where my running was going next. I had no plan, no guidance, no idea on how to build on the progress I had made, no idea about what lay beyond 5k.

Final Thoughts: More Than Just a Resolution

While I didn’t learn everything I expected from Couch to 5K, I learned that persistence matters. Even in the face of pain, doubt, and awkward beginnings, showing up can be the greatest victory. My running experiences in the 5 years since I completed that first 5k have been some of the most rewarding but frustrating of my life. I hope that by reading my blogs you too will discover a love of running. If you already run, then I hope you can relate to my experiences and frustrations!

Have fun and never give up!