Over 100 students and staff tackled January lockdown blues with Sport department’s Couch to 5K programme

More than 100 Brock students and staff signed up for the Sport department’s nine-week Couch to 5K initiative, just as lockdown took hold in January.

With exercise restricted to individual households or support bubbles, the whole Brock community was limited to virtual learning and all team sports were cancelled.

Many reported feeling a lack of motivation and a desire for exercise to maintain positive physical and mental health.

The Couch to 5K idea is all about working your way up to being able to run 5k without stopping.

This type of training is called interval training and is touted as a great way to increase fitness and maintain overall wellbeing.

A Microsoft Teams group was created for the participants who also shared news of their efforts across social media.

Each week the Sports department posted top tips from staff covering topics such as nutrition, recovery, technique and more.

As the weeks progressed, the runs became longer, and finally, by Week 9, participants ran the full 5K.

One runner said: “It was great to have the support of the Teams group because lots of people would say what worked well for them and shared top tips.”

“Meanwhile, the videos from the sports lecturers were also really helpful and motivational.”

Head of Sport, Kevin Jones, said: “It was so great to see people staying active during the long, cold January lockdown.

“Running is great for the body and mind, and it was fantastic to see the progress so many staff and students made.

“This really was a fantastic effort by all involved – well done to each and every one of them.”