Couch To 10K App Review / I Ran 10K in 8 Weeks

At the beginning of lockdown, if you had told me that in 8 weeks time I’d be running my first 10K sub 60 minutes without stopping, then I’d have rolled my eyes, chuckled and said “Nope absolutley not. Running’s not my thing”. But guess what? I downloaded the Couch to 10K app, fell in love with it, and have been running ever since…

This blog post is part 2 of my Couch to 10K journey. You can read the first part here.

My first run of the year happened quickly after the country went into lockdown at the end of March. It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t fun. I was breathless, exhausted and struggled to breathe minutes into it. And if I’m honest, it was probably the worst run of my life! A year of zero cardio and pure weight lifting had certainly taken a toll.

But despite those first few awful runs (that we’ll never talk of again), I didn’t let it ruin my motivation to work with what I had. The way I saw it? It was my opportunity to focus on the things I could do – if I really put my mind to it- rather than the things I couldn’t do… Like, go to the gym.

So that was it. I challenged myself to work on my weaknesses and download an app I stumbled across one evening to help support my new running journey. Hello, Couch to 10K…

The first few weeks

Once I downloaded the app, I decided to start on week 5. As someone who had run before but still struggled with pacing and breathing, I decided week 5 was a pretty good week to start with.

The app itself helps you run 3 times a week and you’re free to choose which days to run. I chose to run Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. I’d rest on Thursday and weight lift the other days of the week and just before my weekday runs. If anything, I’ve been more active during lockdown than I had in months. By the end of each day, I was nearing 15-20K steps and I was zonked by 9 pm.

My first run of week 5 started with three five minute runs and was broken up with 3 minutes of walking. This was then followed by 2 more runs for that same week. By day 3, I was already running 20 minutes with no breaks.

Week 6 was easier, but by the time day 3 came around (my long run), I was soon doubting myself and whether I could run that long without stopping. If anything, I soon realised that my mind was weaker than my body.

By week 8, I was quickly running 5K without stopping. While it sounds a pretty quick turnaround, I found that my body progressed well and I even managed to sub 27 minutes.

The weeks following 5K, I found my runs becoming a lot smoother, well-paced and if I’m honest, easy.

By week 9 though, I definitely noticed an improvement in my pacing. I was now following HR training (due to high cortisol levels), staying in a steady heart zone and finishing each run with a big darn smile on my pace. At this point, I was loving how easy every run felt.

Things soon felt longer though when week 11 rolled around and I was now running more than 8K. But by the end of that week, I was quickly running 8K without stopping. While my runs felt longer – and my legs heavier at times – my breathing and pacing were still feeling good.

And if I’m honest, my weeks continued to progress and by week 13 I had run my first 10K sub 60 minutes without stopping! By that point – day 1 of week 13 – I was feeling more than chuffed with myself as the app expects you only to hit the 10K mark at the end of week 13 on your third run.

My Couch to 10K review

So I did it! I ran 10K in the wee time of 8 weeks and not once during my journey did I want to give up. Not even a little bit.

I often have a little laugh to myself when I think back to the beginning of lockdown. Despite my name, Hannah & Fitness, I was so incredibly unfit. My lungs gasped for air minutes into a run, my mind – at every opportunity – convinced my body that it couldn’t run any further, and my legs struggled to finish a mere 5K without wanting to turn into pieces of led halfway through.

Now though, 8 weeks later, I can comfortably run 10K and can easily continue to keep running if I choose to. I very rarely get out of breath (only during speed work) and now, just a few weeks later after reaching my 10K goal, I’m signing myself up with a running coach to push myself further and continue on with my running journey.

Does the Couch to 10K app work? Absolutely. As long as you’re willing to stay consistent, push past those negative thoughts and stay accountable, it’s 100% achievable.

Running 10K in 8 weeks

As for running 10K in 8 weeks… Yup, that’s totally achievable too if you’re starting with a good ground base. Aka, you’ve run a few fair times before and you’re able to start from week 5.

During my journey, I also kept myself accountable through both my social channels (especially Instagram and Twitter) and on Strava. I found that by doing so, it allowed me to stay motivated as I engaged with the rest of the online running community. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the running community online, I’m not too sure I would have stuck to my commitment! I highly recommend getting involved with the UK Run Chat community on Twitter and Instagram too.

To keep yourself progressing throughout the weeks, it’s also a good idea to stay on top of your recovery and to ensure you’re fuelling yourself before and after your runs. Ladies, I’ve spoken about the importance of fuelling here.

I’ve learnt from my previous mistakes that little running preperation (warm ups and cool downs) can increase your chance of niggles and injuries down the line. So throughout my journey I made sure I kept on top of this and touch wood, I was able to run happily throughout my Couch to 10K journey (minus a niggly calf during week 6 that I quickly recovered from after gait analysis).

While the Couch to 10K journey may have been one I never thought I’d achieve, or even want to achieve myself, I’ve learnt some really promising lessons from it…

• I really can do anything I put my mind to.
• My body is more powerful than my mind.
• Fitness is priceless.
• Nature is beautiful. Learn to love it a little more.
• A run outside really can do more wonders than a gym session indoors.
• Goals are important to keep our minds engaged and our bodies healthy.
• Running allows me to be free.
• Running provides a different kind of escapism that the gym will never be able to.

What’s next? I guess you’ll have to follow my journey to find out…

Instagram: @hannahandfitness
Twitter: @hanandfitness
Strava: Hannah Andy