Introducing: Brenda Fegan
My name is Brenda Fegan and I am a Get Moving ABC coach and qualified LIRF based at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. I have delivered the Couch 2 5k programme as part of the Council ‘New You in 52’ programme for the past 3 years. The New You in 52 Programme is targeted at individuals with a BMI over 25 and encompasses a range of activities, Couch 2 5k being one of them.
The programme starts will a walking programme to build initial fitness levels up. As a group, we then commence with C25K around Portadown Peoples Park. The group really enjoy this programme and are always so delighted to achieve their 5k at Citypark Parkrun in Craigavon surrounded by other runners.
The group then goes on to do cycling and swimming programmes culminating in a triathlon to finish the programme after 1 year.
More recently, with Covid-19 restrictions, we were unable to do the C25K programme face to face and therefore we quickly moved to a virtual means to deliver and keep all participants engaged. We had an amazing 200 participants taking part in a Virtual Couch 2 5k programme from Jan – March 2021. By delivering the programme virtually, we were able to engage with an even wider audience than usual, as location and time was no barrier, and individuals could pick a time and place that suited them, whilst following the same plan as everyone else.
The programme was emailed out to participants on a Sunday evening which included their 3 set runs for the week using the Athletics NI C25K plan, along with some running tips and motivation. In order to further engage with our participants and build up a community, I organised separate WhatsApp groups with 25 participants to a group. Through these groups, I have been able to communicate with participants weekly, providing support and advice. It has also been an opportunity for participants to virtually meet other likeminded people and share their own successes and challenges. The whataspp groups have allowed for that social connection which is so important as part of a C25K programme and has been a real source of motivation for participants.
To date, I have had several success stories from previous C25k programmes. Individuals who came through from the ‘New You in 52 Group’ have gone on to achieve 10k and half-marathon distances. Feedback from participants has been fantastic with many saying they would never have had the confidence to try running if it wasn’t for the C25K programme. Some of my participants have been able to reduce medication based on advice from their Doctor as a result of taking part in these programmes and changing their lifestyles.
The social element has been life changing for some of our participants with many finding their ‘running buddies’ who meet regularly to help them stay motivated and enjoy the social aspect of running.
Many of our participants have also stated that their mental health has improved, especially this year as they were able to have a structured programme as well as having access to the social aspect through the WhatsApp groups.
This has been much learning to date from our Virtual C25K, and going forwards we will definitely look to continue with both face-to-face delivery as well as providing a virtual offer for those who wish to participate in this way.