Derwent Runners - Couch to 5K Course - Autumn 2026 - Week 4

The Couch to 5K cours is designed for those new to running, as well as those who need encouragement to get running again after injury or, well, just life getting in the way.

Each session will start at 6:45pm at the Rugby Club so turn up five minutes before so we can book you in.

We follow the NHS programme and below are the highlights.

Week 1

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then you will alternate 60 seconds of running, with 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2

For the runs in Week 2, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then you will alternate 90 seconds of running, with 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3

For the runs in Week 3, you will begin with brisk 5-minute warm-up walk followed by 2 repetitions of the following; 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking.

Week 4

For the runs in Week 4, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running, 2 ½ minutes walking, 3 minutes running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running.

Week 5

There are three different workouts for this week. They are as follows:

Run 1: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running.

Run 2: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 8 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, 8 minutes running.

Run 3: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 20 minutes running, with no walking.

Week 6

As with Week 5, there are three different runs for this week.

Run 1: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 8 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running.

Run 2: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 10 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 10 minutes running

Run 3: brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 25 minutes with no walking.

Week 7

For the runs in Week 7, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 25 minutes of running.

From now on, the plan gets you used to running for solid blocks of time, without the distraction of walking intervals.

Week 8

For the runs in Week 8, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 28 minutes of running.

By now, you should be getting comfortable with the longer runs but you still need to concentrate on completing the 28 minutes without going too fast.

Week 9

For the runs in Week 9, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 30 minutes of running.

You've nearly reached the end of your programme and you've made some great progress. This is the week when you can reach your goal. Well done!

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