Do It

Follow Team ELLE as six of us take on the 0-5K running club challenge! From our editor-in-chief to our fashion and beauty assistants – we’re all in this together.

Keep up with our progress right here and at @ELLEUKrunning

This week you are ready to start running. See how the running panel are getting on...

ELLE Running Club: the final week

Commissioning Editor Hannah Swerling: The Time-To-Get-Serious Runner

And so it is. The final week of the ELLE Running Club challenge. Can I run 5k? Well yes, I can! Who would have thunk it?

The bits I’ve found difficult – running without music when my iPod died, motivating myself on particularly rainy days and getting through those runs when it’s just not happening.

The bits I’ve loved – being part of the club with my fellow ELLE runners, invigorating runs through the park on a cold, clear day and the music: heart-pumping, spirit-lifting, life affirming.

The conclusion - Running fits in to my busy life. I can run before work or as part of my journey home and – I can’t believe I’m saying this – I actually want to run in my spare time. Sometimes.

How have you got on with the six week challenge? Tweet us @ELLEUK running to let us know.

Gymbox - not your average gym

Editor in Chief Lorraine Candy: The Time-Poor Runner

In the concrete basement of London's Gymbox I am lying on the floor while Nike Master trainer Sonja Moses (@sonjamoses), a boxer by sporting trade, is conducting a Biomechanics test on me.

I have two muscles in what seems to be permanent spasm (four pregnancies, a desk job and horse riding may be at the root of this) and a problematic pelvis.

If I don’t work on this then it could cause problems as I run. Sonja's soothing voice explains the technical details, which are fascinating, and really a guide to how muscles work.

She sets me some home work (mild stretching) and gives me some pointers on core muscle toning, which involve a serious of exercises tensing my tummy muscles while lying on the floor.

In a week she'll monitor the muscle response. The good news is Sonja makes it sound easy – she knows, as I am finding out, it's mostly your mind that drives your training, not your body. You can, if you think you can.

Then she teaches me how to run. Tuck your arms in, and keep on the balls of your feet as much as possible, hitting the ground in a more frequent rhythm. Genius. And it works.

Later as I run home I do the other thing Sonja has advised. I empty my mind and fill it with music. It's those first 10 minutes which cause the most problem for me and this is due to the body craving more oxygen.

Once you get past that and into a rhythm your body gets used to the oxygen flow. So you need a distraction – music is mine.

I am beginning to think 5k is achievable even with my limited time to run. And I may even take Sonja up on her offer to start boxing!

Follow me @LorraineELLE

Click here to follow the ELLE Running Club plan

Junior Sub-Editor Sophie Gridley: The New Runner

I really don't want you, dear reader, to get the impression we are finding this running lark easy. Do not let cheerful tweets and bright sweaters fool you. It is not easy – no matter how nice your trainers are, how good your playlist or how many personal training sessions you have – to go from spending Saturday mornings doing absolutely nothing/eating croissants, to putting on Lycra and running round the park while your chest aches and your new trainers rub. One does not think, 'Oh, this is nice,' while running. Because, really, it's not that nice, is it? The park is nice. Your trainers are a pretty colour. The idea is noble. But it is not nice. It hurts: a little or a lot, depending who you are. Thoughts that arise include, 'what's the point?' 'why should I?' and 'what's the point?'. And yet, here's the thing: I think I'm OK with that. Some things should hurt. It's not going to kill me. The feeling of it being over is worth running toward. And from what I hear, things can only get better. I will run further, I will feel better, I will get there. I may not get there in the allotted six weeks, but that's OK too. If I tell myself off for that I'll only stop. So I'll do my best. And I'll think: one day my chest will not hurt when I do this. One day I will no longer be a New Runner. And on that day, maybe, I will think, 'Oh, this is nice.'

Kilometres run: 3

New pairs of trainers: 1

Running albums downloaded: 1 (1990s workout, obvs)

Beauty Assistant Joely Walker: The Reluctant Runner

After slacking last week I knew I had to step up my game. And I did – I joined the gym. Signing up felt like I’d already run the 5K and I’m hoping that this is the push I need to kick me in to exercise action... but only time will tell.

Step One: I sign up for a body combat class and I’m pleasantly surprised – one, I actually finish it (the same cannot be said for spin classes) and two, I enjoyed it. It turns out that running around the room with a group of strangers and punching along to loud music is quite motivating and after one hour I feel like I’ve let off some steam and decide that this might just be the way forward. The problem I have with running alone is that I am the one that has to decide when I stop (that’s if I even start), but with an instructor, they push you to keep going.

Step Two: 1.5k with intervals. Second trip the gym in a week? Well this is new. I follow the plan and run for 30 seconds on the treadmill and then reduce the speed to catch my breath and repeat. It’s easier this way.

Step three: I was so close I could almost smell the success. And then I got invited out for dinner and all my good intentions went out of the window.

Contracts signed: 1

Post-gym Burritos: 1