Running

The Couch to 5K programme is designed to support beginners to run 5km in 9 weeks. Download the app to your smart phone and follow the instructions. You can find out more about Couch to 5k and what to expect week by week on the programme on the NHS website.

The Couch to 5k app has been downloaded over 5 million times! It seems to work well for people as it builds you up slowly, give it a try and see what you think!

It can really help to start running with someone who is around the same level of ability as you. You can encourage each other to keep going - and once you've committed to running with a friend, it's harder to talk yourself out of it!

Work out when and where you're going to run, and try and mix it up so you don't get bored of the same routes.

It might help you to set yourself a target. This could be a distance you'd like to be able to run without stopping, or it could be an amount of time you would like to be able to run for. Allow yourself time to reach your goal too – by running regularly, you will see yourself get better over time.

A running club is a good way to commit to running regularly and gain support from others. Most clubs have running groups for different levels, including beginners. Find a running club near you.

You might also like to try Park Run, which is a community based registered charity that organises free, weekly 4k events every Saturday morning in areas of open space. Additionally, there are 2k junior events for 4 to 14 year olds and their families on Sunday mornings. People are encouraged to walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Parkruns are open to all, including those who are inactive or have health conditions. In Doncaster we have 3 parkrun events, a 5k event and a junior event at Sandall Park, and a 5k event also at Cusworth Hall.