Of course, a lot of our feelings about speed are tied in with body image. Not hitting an arbitrary target can feel like confirmation that we don’t fit the intimidating image of a lithe, leggy ‘proper runner’. This is something Mel Bound, founder of nationwide running club This Mum Runs, often encounters. She’s doing her best to give Couch to 5K a rebrand. She calls her TMR beginners programme Run30.

“For women just starting out or getting back into running, that omnipresent goal of running 5K in 30 minutes can feel like such an incredibly huge barrier to even starting,” she says. “A focus on the number of minutes moving sounds ridiculously simple, but it has been such a magic unlock for women new to running or trying to build up to more regular running.

“They know if they follow the programme at their own pace, by the end, they will be able to run non-stop for 30 minutes. Just flipping it on its head feels so empowering.”

“Running a sub-30-minute 5K isn’t realistic for lots of runners – it’s time Couch to 5K reflected that fact”