Celebrating LLR Girls Can Couch to 5k Graduates!

Last month saw 2 LLR Girls Can Couch to 5K groups graduate from their 9-week course. Starting with alternate 60 second runs and 90 second walks, the ladies are now running for 30 minutes and are regularly taking part in their local parkruns.

Kelly Munsey led the group over at Wigston. The group met every Thursday evening and quickly saw improvements through Kelly's encouragement and their own dedication, Kelly commented that '30 minutes of running is easy for them now, I can't believe the difference in them, it's lovely to see'.

Over at Thringstone, the group met every Friday, and run leader Bonita said: "I love my Friday nights with the ladies in the group, they are a wonderful bunch of enthusiastic, fun women. Each week we come together and work hard to achieve the session. It is a joy and pleasure to see them smiling, chatting and cheering each other on as they push themselves, and the sense of pride they in themselves have when they completed each run is a beautiful thing to see. We stay in touch throughout the week on a Whatsapp group, and everyone is incredibly supportive - sharing their success as they accomplish their independent runs, but also being honest about when things are tough. The way they rally round and build each other up is lovely, and the sense of community and empowerment feels like a very special thing to be part of."

Sheila Chauhan-Moon, a graduate of the Thringstone C25K group found confidence through joining the group: 'I have tried to run before and never quite got to grips with it because the group would just go off and do a 5 - 7 km run. By joining this group its really helped me as each week I run with the group and then have a go at least a couple of times a week myself, so its really helped build my confidence. The group is just great, everyone encourages each other'

Couch to 5K is all about finding a routine that works for you, committing to a goal, and having fun whilst doing so. When asked to give advice to those who may be thinking of starting running, Dianne Blockley (Couch to 5K Thringstone graduate) said: 'I would say to anyone just take that first step, literally, and you can do it'

The Couch to 5K's were part of our LLR Girls Can programme, and so the groups were based around boosting confidence, resilience, and enjoying moving more and meeting like-minded women. All ladies were presented with LLR Girls Can t-shirts, shoe laces, water bottles and medals to celebrate their success. Well done all!

If you are someone you know are interested in getting more active, please visit our LLR Girls Can webpage for more information on local physical activity opportunities, as well as our Get Active Search Engine.