The Couch to 5K Podcast

This is an incredible story. From addiction to drink and drugs... to running the London Marathon in just a bra and knickers. Bryony Gordon's story is full of laughs, astonishment and courage.
Bryony has had a lot to deal with. OCD, mental illness, depression and addiction. She was an alcoholic when she ran her first London Marathon, which proved a life-changing moment. Her world was falling apart when she first decided to put on some trainers and go for a short run. A decision which left her mind feeling cleansed.
She entertains us with her story of how she came to be a marathon runner following an off-the-cuff comment to Catherine, Princess of Wales. And now she's known for doing marathons in just her underwear as a celebration of body image.
"Running saved my life' she says with a smile and a laugh. But amongst the funny stories is an uplifting truth.
Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher
Producer: Mark Shardlow
Exec Producer: Katherine Hogan
For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display
What is Couch to 5K?
It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners
How do you do Couch to 5K?
Download an app(details below) and away you go!
Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?
Yes, on a treadmill or outside.
How does Couch to 5K work?
You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.
How long does Couch to 5K take?
You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.
You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Giovanna’s guest today is one of the greatest names in British Athletics, Steve Cram. If you’re doing the NHS Couch to 5k programme, you’ll know he’s one of the coaches. He still loves running and the grassroots of the sport after an illustrious career.
Giovanna goes in to how the boy from Jarrow went on to become such a great. He talks about taking up running through to becoming an Olympian and World Record holder.
Steve talks about the influences in his life, including a number of familiar names for athletics fans. And what it’s like to break a world record.
But his passion for running goes way beyond his past achievements…and even his time in the commentary box for the BBC.
Steve tells Giovanna there are very similar principles whether standing on the start line at the Olympics or completing Couch to 5k programme. Have a plan, trust the training and have a go! And generally the hardest part of any run is getting out of the door.
It’s an entertaining episode with lots of great advice from Steve who also meets Kev, who had Steve as his Couch to 5k coach.
For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display
What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners
How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!
Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.
How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.
How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to. You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Savannah Sachdev chats with Giovanna Fletcher about her life-changing decision to run every day. She began in 2021 and hasn't stopped.
She's now a successful content creator and contributor to running publications and tells Giovanna that she can't quite believe what happened. Savannah had little interest in sport or running until her remarkable daily streak began. She now mixes work with being a step-mum and is running longer distances including marathons...but always for fun.
It's an example of how showing up, even for just a few minutes each day, can lead to a dramatic change in fitness levels.
Savannah now uses her running to clear her head and it's an important part of her daily set-up. She says she has become a better person for it. As an introvert, she believes it's given her a confidence she thought she'd never have.
For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display
What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners
How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app (details below) and away you go!
Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.
How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.
How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.
You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Comedian Maisie Adam joins Giovanna Fletcher to chat about her running journey. Maisie is great fun as she talks about her sporty life but also the difficulty she has in enjoying running.
A pile of pizzas at the finish line was her highlight when she finished the London Marathon, an event she ran for charity. But she tells Giovanna she didn’t enjoy the training and was glad when it was all over.
Maisie grew up in Yorkshire where she had a talent for cross country running. But the early starts and muddy finishes were too much and she gave up on the sport. Now she plays football for Brighton Seagals FC and that’s her exercise passion. She will still run, but it needs to be with a group of friends at a Park Run as she doesn’t enjoy the solitude that others love. To get by whilst running she takes herself in to a dream world of being in a band or performing the Paso Doble in Strictly Come Dancing.
Maisie has not one but two fantasy runs; she has a few must-play running tracks and has some great advice for beginners. We also here from Dom who refuses to let her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis dominate her running and her ability to do Couch to 5K.
For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display
What is Couch to 5K?
It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners
How do you do Couch to 5K?
Download an app(details below) and away you go!
Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?
Yes, on a treadmill or outside.
How does Couch to 5K work?
You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.
How long does Couch to 5K take?
You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.
You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

We’re starting the second season of the Couch to 5K Podcast with two guests from the BBC TV series The Traitors joining Giovanna Fletcher.
Minah Shannon and Freddie Fraser were two of the most popular contestants in series 3 of The Traitors UK. With their energy and humour they take us inside the programme and reveal their own running journeys... from representing the UK to tackling half marathons.
Freddie talks about his horrific day on the TV show after being recruited as a traitor and his panic when Claudia Winkleman walked into the room during filming, whilst Minah tells an opposite story telling how she revelled in the role.
Minah explains how she got in to running. She’s downloaded the NHS Couch to 5K app 5 times, the final time in November 2023 which, she says, was life-changing. She’s progressed to running half marathons and Minah talks about how it’s improved her sleep and her mental health as well as her general health.
Freddie tells Giovanna that he had a very athletic childhood. He competed for GB as a schoolboy in the hurdles. His ambition was to make the Olympic Games but an injury forced him off the track. He finds long distances challenging and prefers to run on a treadmill rather than outside.
Giovanna talks about her experience in ‘I’m a Celebrity..’ and the lack of opportunity for exercise whilst on the show. Freddie says he was so exhausted during filming that he just slept. But Minah reveals she found a running circuit and a welfare member ran with her playing Taylor Swift on his phone to keep her motivated.
And Freddie owns up to cheating whilst trying to improve his 5K time by doing part of it on a bike!
We also have the regulars – the fantasy run, the Couch Buddy with a remarkable story of turning his life around with running, an essential tune and a top tip to completing Couch to 5K. Thanks for listening!
You can download the NHS Couch to 5K app from your app store and can find more details about the programme here:
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display
What is Couch to 5K?
It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners
How do you do Couch to 5K?
Download an app (details below) and away you go!
Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?
Yes, on a treadmill or outside.
How does Couch to 5K work?
You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.
How long does Couch to 5K take?
You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.