Name: Mike
Area: Glasgow UK
Completed: 5th Sept 2010
Comments: Awesome, just awesome. From couch potato to regular runner in 9 weeks. Lost two stone, feel great and can knock out 30+ minute runs with ease. The app was fundamental to this. I'd tried the couch to 5K before using stopwatches and trying to remember each walk / run interval but this just let me listen to music and follow the nice woman's advice. She's like my old running buddy now If I can do it, anyone can!
Name: Eddie
Area: Started in the UK, finished in Afghanistan
Completed: 07 Sept 2010
Comments: Its taken a bit longer than 10 weeks to get here, down for 3 weeks in may with a bad back, getting out to Afghan, and the higher altitude (over half a mile up), heat and dust made me have to go back 2 weeks when I got out here. But I've made it, and hells yeah its worth it!
The programme, and more specifically the way the app works, have made it a fairly painless experience, I'm now figuring out how to build up to a 10k run, and when I get back I'll be entering a few 5k's. To be blunt I could never have gotten where i am with my running without the app!
Name: Zoe
Area: Kent
Completed: September 7 2010
Comments:I am 38 and have tried (unsuccessfully) over the years to run - I've lost count of how many times. It was not until I stumbled across this app that I was able to really stick with it and succeed. By the end of the programme I am running 3.5 miles in around 45 mins which is nothing short of a minor miracle! At the outset I could just about manage the one minute runs. Since finishing I've been for one run without the Get Running app playing through my iPhone and I am missing it already Think I will keep replaying week nine and hope that the creators release a C210K pretty soon as 10k is now the goal I am working towards. If you'd have said that a few months back I'd have laughed my socks off. After having 2 kids I was 4-5 stone overweight (I was never overweight before kids and am quite small build so was really feeling rough from it.) I lost a stone last year then stalled but I have lost about 1.5 stone more since starting Get Running. I will definitely stick with running to help shift the remaining 2-2.5 stone. I feel a hundred times better since starting to run, I really do. The weight has come off everywhere - legs in particular though. So it works. The programme is well paced and the support network of the forum is excellent - if only to validate that others are in the same boat on those weeks things are not going as great as they ought to be. It's spurred me on to join the gym and eat well too. Just got to keep going through the winter months now, but shouldn't be too hard as I look forward to my runs - never thought I'd say that either! Please please can we have a C210K though? Is there one in the pipeline? I think Get Running is great. Seems many others do too. We'll all keep waiting for the next instalment eagerly Huge huge thanks. You guys rock! xx
Name: Todd
Area: Chicago area, US
Completed: 17 Oct 2010
Comments: Finished up the program today! Get Running was fantastic, it worked so well for me. This last run was my fastest 5K time yet! I ran my first official 5K race in week 7 of the program and am signed up for another 5K in two weeks time. Between my running and eating much better, I've lost 14 pounds and feel great. I can't give enough thanks to Benjohn, Matt, and anyone else at Splendid Things for writing an superb couch to 5K application. I've been bitten by the running bug and will continue on!
I'm working on it, and I'm sorry not to have something there for you. I'm really glad you're not waiting for me to finish though! All the best with getting to 10K, and please feel free to stay on the forum here
Name: Simon
Area: Wigan UK
Started: 14th Aug 2010
Completed: 28th Oct 2010
Comments: All I can say is what a fabulous plan this is, I was one of those people that wanted to start running but really didn't know how. I remember after that first run and thinking I was really struggling to run for 60 seconds and I’ve never be able to run for 30! I knew after the 20 minute run on week 5 I could do it, although I did find it quite mind boggling at the time. From mapping my runs I’m not quite running 5k yet but I’m quite happy to be running for 30 minutes for the time being although I think it would only be an extra couple minutes running to get to 5k. I'm going to stick to 30 minute runs till the New Year then who knows? Maybe a 10k plan would be an idea to move on.
Name: Grace
Area: Hampshire, UK
Started: 21st June
Almost completed: September 1st (only had 1 run left of week 9!)
Finally completed: November 1st, after a month and a half off to recover from a foot injury)
Comments: I can't praise 'Get running' enough, and spend all my time recommending it to anyone who will listen! I can still remember the first time I ran for 3 minutes, I really didn't think I could do it and had to summon every ounce of my will power to carry on. Now I can run for more than 1/2 hour without stopping, I ran the full 5K the other day in 35 minutes and will run a 5k fun run dressed as Santa next month! I'm now tracking my runs with 'Runkeeper', at the same time as repeating week 9 of 'Get Running' so that 'the voice' can help me keep going. Hoping I can maintain 5k runs over the winter then train for a 10k next year. There is no doubt that 'Get Running' has changed my life, I hope I never become a couch potato again!
Name: Aiden
Area: NW London
Started July
I finaly completed the app and have now moved on to "bridge to 10K" app on the iphone. Already completed the 1st week and now running up to nearly 5 miles. I even got the Mrs interested and she has now started using the app too.
Name: Aidan
Area: Southern United States
Age: 29
Started: August 28
Ended: December 11
Finished my program this morning with an actual race. Thanks benjohn and Get Running!
“Suddenly, I was part of something. I was part of the running community. The more open I was about my running, the more open others were about theirs. I found out that runners love to talk about running.”