As winter approaches, I find it harder to get motivated to ride outside. And while I do ride outside, and the trainer about 6 hours a week, I’ve decided to mix in some running too. For me, running is a bit of a chore. After one knee surgery, and a second one probably wouldn’t hurt, I haven’t been much of a runner since my college soccer days. Although I have fitness to start with, running for any length of time or distance is going to take some different focus on training. So, I’ve decided to start from scratch. I have found several training programs for a 5k run, but the articles and training programs called “Couch to 5k” is a very easy approach to getting in “running shape”. It’s basically designed for people that are just starting to get into running, and to get the slug off the couch and fit. But for a cyclist, I find it useful to get my legs trained for running too.

The particular 9 week plan that I am using is adapted for use with a treadmill (found here), but if you can run and time yourself at the same time, you can use it outdoors too. The whole plan is based on time and not distance. But when you are finished with the 9 weeks, you will be running a 5k (3.1 miles).

Variations of the “Couch To 5k” training plan can be found at http://www.c25k.com/.