Arunodaya – Sofa to 5K

As many of you know YouTooCanRun has embarked on a program titled ‘Sofa to 5K’ The aim of this program is the get folks who are sofa sitters to start running 5K.

So here is a story of how 4 ladies from my Housing apartment in Mumbai, called Arunodaya ran ( rather walked ) the 5K segment of the DNA iCan Marathon held yesterday the 10th March, 2013.

The story begins when we celebrated Republic Day in our building and after that over the customary snacks, I ended up refusing the cake, samosa and aerated soft drinks since my eating pattern tends to be very healthy. Conversation veered around my healthy lifestyle and also on my running activities. All the ladies wanted to be healthy, fit and lose weight too ( who doesn’t )

So I made an offer and that was accepted then and there. We took a quick decision on a few points

– We formed a group on Facebook and titled it ‘Awesome Arunodaya’

– We decided that we will train once a week..Saturday mornings.

Accordingly 6 ladies started showing up. More or less regularly.

The principle of progressive loading was adhered to. The first order of day was to focus on their feet time. For the first weeks they were only made to walk.

I must also mention here that all training took place in the building compound. It was determined that one round of the compound was about 125 metres. Thus 8 rounds made it a full KM.

On most days the day started with a round of mild stretching. After an hour or so of brisk walking we ended up in the park with a round of stretches. Everyday a small nuggest of knowledge was shared. Terms such as RPE, Difference between Fitness and Health, Difference between walking, running etc were all covered.

The round of stretching ended with a prayer of Gratitude and every day I made it a point to take some small eats such as fruits, Chikkies etc which provided some social interaction opportunities and also steered them into exploring healthy eating alternatives.

In the later weeks we then started adding some components of running. For the first week it was to run half a round and then walk. We then increased to running one round and walking one round.

Towards the end of Feb the dates for the DNA iCan Woman’s Run was announced and when I broached this topic the ladies were enthused to have  a go at it.

Out of the 6 regulars, 3 had participated in running events before. But 3 were rank new comers. Much excitement ensued and it was decided that 4 ladies would do the 5K segment while two would do the 10K segment.

I went and got the bibs for all and the ladies got themselves hand painted caps in bright yellow emblazoned with the words Awesome Arunodaya.

In the last week we intensified the training to 3 days. Some entry level components of strength training was also added to the endurance and flexibility already under way. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness ( DOMS ) ensued

The ladies enjoyed the run / walk. Last day strategy was as under:

– Complete the distance

– On feet

– Enjoy the experience

And by all standards they enjoyed it all.

After we returned from the Run they went ahead and  ordered a cake. An AGM of the society had been convened and after the AGM the cake was cut and shared with all members.

So in conclusion, with about 6 weeks of ‘quasi’ training, 4 rank beginners walked/ran the 5K segment of the DNA iCan Marathon.

If they can run, then YouTooCanRun.

The online photos as here.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/111372758904458143042/albums/5854102154256306897