As Waterfront Wellness starts its annual Beat the Couch five-kilometre race, Royal Gazette reporter Sékou Hendrickson attempts to train for the race for the first time

I’ve always considered myself as someone who was healthy but not particularly athletic. I eat my vegetables and try lift weights about two or three times a week, but my go-to joke of doing it all to look good and eat whatever I wanted was more true than I’d liked. So when my manager offered me the chance to try the ten-week Beat the Couch run, especially as someone who hadn’t jogged for more than a minute since the pandemic, I took it as both a challenge and a promise to get healthier.

Training started the first week of October and was deceptively simple. We were given 60 seconds of light running and 90 seconds of power walking, repeated four times.

I breezed through the first two cycles with confidence, but very quickly remembered the importance of endurance as my knees began to ache.

I finished the run embarrassingly sore and later sent an apology to all the friends I’d teased for having bad joints.

Luckily, I trained with a mix of first-timers, veteran runners and people putting their running shoes back on for the first time in years — all of whom were very encouraging.

The cycles only grew with each week — four minute-long runs and 90-second walks became six 90-second runs and two-minute walks.

Jogs became longer and intervals shrank, until by week five, we were doing three five-minute runs and three three-minute walks.

Everyone’s dedication throughout training had been unmatched.

Dozens of people showed up for the first week despite days of downpour. I saw multiple people join sessions late because they came from another walk.

One man even arrived to a session in slacks and a T-shirt because he forgot his gym bag. He wound up lapping me twice that evening.

Meanwhile, my own growth had been surprisingly steady. Running three times a week felt far from a chore and became more for a routine with each week.

The challenge, while noticeable, was never overwhelming and made easier once I found a comfortable pace and someone to talk to during walks.

I became more mindful of what I ate, following guidance from Catherine Basden, a Beat the Couch organiser and nutritionist, on how to maximise the workout.

She recommended half a plate of vegetables, a quarter of protein and a quarter of carbohydrates. While it wasn’t always easy, I did find lighter foods very appealing after a run.

On that same note, I’ve paid more attention to how I run than I ever have before, all while being mindful of any strain on my lower body, back and joints.

Before I reached 30 years old a few months ago, I’d seen plenty of comments about how that decade was the time to find a niche hobby and make it my new personality. Joining a running group — and refusing to stop talking about it — was a very common option.

As I write this story before starting another run, which will be published the morning before yet another run, I wonder if I’ve found the new hobby to last me through my thirties.

Here’s to another five weeks.