Beginner Running Couch to 5k

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THE 0K TO 5K TRAINING PLAN AND GUIDE IS HERE

WK1 THURS 8TH JULY 19:00 2021

Every Thursday for 8 weeks (+adhoc extra sessions).

Meet at Alport Lane Playing fields (Youlgrave cricket/football pitch DE45 1WN)

The beginners 0k to 5k Course is all about helping people become runners in a slow structured way, walking and running in small intervals and building your fitness up. There is no competition and we focus on support, friendship and fun. Anyone can be a runner and we certainly will do our best to help you become one. We operate the same fee system as Youlgrave Harriers (ROY..Runners of Youlgrave) ie there isn't 1 we just ask you to drop a donation directly to the friends of youlgrave school at some point.

This Beginners Course is designed to get you to the point where you can run 5K in a relaxed pace. It’s a simple, progressive program that begins with more walking than running, and gradually evolves into more running than walking. Much more detail is here <Youlgrave Hariers 0-5 Plan> . This will be updated each week to reveal the following weeks plan (we will adapt as we go to fit the group's ability). It will differ a little from the 'off the shelf' plans as we do live in the Peaks so we need to be able to march up the hills.

Once you are able to run 5K nonstop, you can decide on your next goal. You might simply want to continue running 5K at a time, three or four days per week. Research has shown that this is enough to help you lose or maintain weight, and improve many other important health markers, i.e. your cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin response.

Or you might decide that you want to do more i.e 10K, Half Marathons or take up Fell and trail running . Don’t be intimidated. The first 5K's are the hardest you will ever run. Once you have reached this level of fitness, it’s relatively easy to do more. You simply have to budget the time, and be patient and disciplined in your training.

Here Are Four Key Points To Consider Before You Begin The Youlgrave Harriers 0k to 5k Course

1. If you are over 40, not accustomed to any exercise, or more than 20 pounds overweight, consult with your physician. Unless you have a known health risk, your doctor will probably encourage you to begin a run-walk programme, but it’s always wise to check.

2. Schedule your workouts. You won’t find time for them unless you make time for them. Put them in your phone, computer, daily appointment planner, on the front of your refrigerator, inside the wine bottle or wherever else you keep your schedule.

3. Expect bad days (and bad weather). Everyone has them, but they pass quickly, and the next workout is often better than the previous one. So stick with the programme.

4. Don’t rush. In the fitness world, rushing leads to injuries and discouragement. Be patient, and go slow. The goal is to reach 5K of continuous running, not to set any records getting there.

Any questions? Ask anything you like via email: youlgraveharriers@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you.

Week 1 Thursday 8th July 19:00:

We’ll meet in the carpark of Youlgrave cricket/playing ground from 18:30 for brief introductions. If you could pre-fill in the <SIGN UP FORM> that will help ease things along. We'll need your name and an emergency contact before we get going.

On arrival please come over and say hello to the ROY run leaders (we should be obvious).

At 19:00 we’ll start moving.

At 19:40 (ish) we’ll be finished and we'll pop to the George for a post run chat and drinks.

Week 1 The run: Begin with a 5 minute warm-up or brisk five-minute walk, then alternate 1 Minute of very easy running and 1 1/2 Minute of walking, for a total of 20 minutes followed by a 5 minute cool down. We will stay together as a group with any of the quicker people doubling back to meet back up with the pack at the end of each 1min interval. At no point will you be left alone. The rest of the plan can be found on THIS PAGE

Running related resources

Parkrun. Free timed and organised 5k’s. This is where the course will end.

Fell Running Association (FRA). Where all the fell race listing live along with lots of advice relevant for running around the Peaks.

Strava. A GPS app for your phone and a social training log, a little like facebook for runners. Find Youlgrave Harriers on there.

Youlgrave Harriers Thats us.

Fetcheveryone. A training log tool that syncs with your running watch/phone app with lots of analysis and an excellent race finder tool.

General Tips

If you have not run before it can be a little daunting setting out on your first jog.

If you are in this situation, we have compiled a list of tips below. Use this as a guide before pulling on your shoes and heading out for the first time:

1. Buy a good pair of running shoes

You don't have to buy the top of the range, which could set you back several hundred pounds. But, it's important to ensure that your shoes will provide sufficient cushioning to protect your back and lower limbs from injury. If it's your first pair it's best to use an actual running shop as fitting tends to be unique to each brand and what you require is unique to you. Our local specialist shop is Run Forest in Matlock.

2. Walk before you run

For the first four weeks you should have a 5-15 minute warm-up walk before breaking into a trot, followed by a warm-down stroll.

3. Try to run/walk at least three times a week

You won't really benefit if you do less than this. However, don't run if you're unwell, as this might increase the time you'll take to recover. 1 day of hard work and 6 days of nothing won't really achieve much, consistency is the magic bullet.

4. Try not to run two days in a row for the first two months

Give your muscles and tendons a chance to adapt to running. It's common for aerobic capacity to get ahead of all those previously unused muscles, it takes time for everything to level up.

5. Focus on time, not distance

Your running programme should be designed to gradually increase the time you spend on your feet, rather than the miles (or km if you're one of those metric oddities).

6. Try to avoid big increases in time on your feet

If you ran a total of thirty minutes last week, don't increase this by more than ten minutes the following week.

7. Be patient

Don't enter races too soon. No matter how much your friends pressurise you. Wait until you can run at least 30 minutes without resting before lining up for that first race.

8. Find a like-minded friend to run with

Some of the greatest friendships have been formed looking for suitable toilet stops during training runs.

9. Enjoy your running

It's nice to be competitive, but not if the pressures are going to impact on your health and general life style. Avoid getting into the trap of entering a race every week, come what may, because this is the surest way of becoming injured.

10. Join a running club

The best way to get started is to join a running club like Youlgrave Harriers! You'll receive loads of encouragement, advice and it's just more fun.

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