An oldie but a goodie, the NHS Couch To 5K app is ideal for anyone who wants to get into running for the first time but isn’t quite sure where to start. It’s completely free and is designed to help you go from short run/walk sessions to a full-on 5k in just nine weeks, with three sessions plotted in a week.

Each of the sessions comes with a guided audio track so you’ll know exactly when to start running and when to stay walking, and an on-screen tracker to help you see your progress. And if you want a little company on your runs, you can also try ‘buddy runs’, in which a friend or family member logs on to the app at the same time and you do your run together. After you’ve completed a run, you’ll be able to see your progress on the app, so you can see how far you’ve got to go until the end of the programme.

It’s worth noting that some people do find the suggested time for the final 5k (around 30 minutes) a little bit too fast, so make sure to take things at your own pace and listen to your body as you go.

Indeed, as writer Isabel Mohan previously wrote for Strong Women: “[Since trying the app] I’ve run three half-marathons and more than 50 Parkruns… I’ve basically made running my whole personality, even writing a newsletter about it. But here’s the thing: when I finished Couch to 5K, I still couldn’t run 5k in under 30 minutes. In fact, I can count the number of times I’ve run 5k in under 30 minutes on one sweaty hand.”

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