Why didn't they teach like this in school??

[Peter_B]

Still riding the wave of W1R2 achievement and found myself pondering.

Why didn't they teach us to run this way when I was at secondary school (a few years ago now, recently turned 36). It seems like the ideal way of sneaking running up on kids. Instead we were just shoved out on the field and told to get on with it. Either running laps of the pitch before rugby/football, or worse the dreaded 1500 metres!

That was fine for those of an athletic persuasion, you know they sort - the ones who'd smugly lap you whilst you're panting your little lungs out, feeling properly dejected and wondering how to tell your mum your legs had dropped off.

But for the rest of us it was a nightmare. Told to run, shouted at for slowing or stopping to walk. Hell on Earth.

It's no wonder I've had a reluctant attitude to exercise since.

How different it could have been if they had started us out gently with a bit of structure. Yes the smug kids would have whizzed through the early weeks as was their wont. But the rest of us would have stood a chance of developing our running rather than hating it.

I might have even been put in something than the bl**dy obstacle race at school sports day!!

I don't know if it's different nowadays, my boys are only 9 months so have got a few years yet before they have to face P.E.

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

What a great idea! Perhaps the NHS ought to be trying to get C25K into schools - especially for teenage girls who are notoriously exercise averse.

[Hidden]

I absolutely 100% agree with you. My teenage daughter really struggled with PE at school (like me) but has followed me doing C25K and as a direct result is out running voluntarily 3-4 times a week, runs 24 min Parkruns and wants to do a HM next year !!

[katty4 Graduate]

Yea thats very true. To me the way they taught sport when I was at school just put a lot of people right off. They wonder now why so many people are reluctant to do any sort of exercise and are overweight and leading very sedentary lives.

The only way it helped was if you were fit already and already enjoyed running/football or whatever.

As this is an NHS plan you would think they would be putting 2and 2 together and using something like this as a way to teach.

[Maysie1 Graduate in reply to katty4]

I drove into my local town about 2 weeks ago (while the kids were still on holidays) and just couldn't believe the state of what I was seeing walking around town. I have never seen so many grossly overweight young kids EVER.

We really do have a huge nationwide health problem coming in the longer term if we continue to let it happen.

I also watched a TV 'cookery' programme last night where kids were asked to pick raw vegetables out of a box - and none of them had ever seen a courgette before. The chef picked up an aubergine and one of the kids guessed it was a pea.

Terrifying, but not really surprising (depressingly).

[Belindauk Graduate]

I totally agree. I'm on W3 R2 on Thursday and it's a joy to be out there doing it. I was also only saying the other day the same as you said, I would not have been a couch potato for so long grrr. This program is awesome. I won't be surprised if the government don't try and charge for it if they get a whiff of how good it's doing. It's so nice to here other peoples stories and progress it helps knowing your not the only one out who thought they couldn't run.

[Maysie1 Graduate]

I was having exactly the same conversation with my wife at the end of last week.

I think my school days and the dreaded 1500m run was why I hated running so much before now. I was never a 'fat' or particularly 'unhealthy' kid and even set school records in the 100m and 200m sprints when I was about 12 YO, but have hated running ever since. I was never encouraged by my parents to do anything like that either, so it just falls by the wayside.

Until now! Usain Bolt Mk2 here we come....

[loubee33 Graduate]

Absolutely agree. I am 36 in December and my memories of PE are diabolical. it was not that I was unfit I was walking to and from school covering at least 2.5 miles a day. Running though was not something I did. I can remember my technique of walking the 800 metres of 1500 metres until the teacher looked at me and then I would run a bit. So far primary PE for DD has been rubbish. We are trying to do the c25k program and she has done week one but time has proved an issue. We will see how secondary goes but I am intent on getting her through the c25k so watch this space.

[Urbanxi Graduate]

Totally agree. A couple of months before C25K I ran for 60 seconds. Got tired. Quit.

Week 1 was so motivational it's spurred me to carry on. Definitely think it's a good idea for schools!

[karlotta Graduate]

Absolutely agree - I'v forever banging on about this! I'm sure if they'd had this in school life would have been very different - I hated PE especially the dreaded cross country running and made it my mission to come up with a reason to avoid all PE from this point in. I'm sure my hatred for PE due to running was the reason I put on weight as a kid.

[Janglyshe Graduate in reply to karlotta]

How your post brought back memories of cross country and cross staff. No one tried to explain pace to me. I happily ran / sprinted a hundred yards then got a stitch so gave up. Bunked PE from age 15. Took up C25K at 57! Wish I had done this 40 years ago.

[Peter_B Graduate]

Maybe we should start one of those online government petition things to get C25K (or similar) included in the curriculum.

It does seem an ideal fit for they typical 1 hour lesson time (if it is still an hour!) - 10 mins to get changes, 5 mins warmup, do the programme, 5 mins warm down, 10 mins to get changed again.

No brainer!

[Mamma_Mia Graduate]

I know what you mean ... I work in a support role at our local high school. Students only do PE for 2 hours each week and those in years 7 and 8 (the first 2 years) also have a one hour dance lesson each fortnight. The students normally rotate through activities like swimming, netball, tennis, hockey, athletics (both track and field) in the lower years. Once they reach year 9, they split into single sex classes - girls do things like Zumba, trampolining and fitness suite. Not sure about the boys as I have 2 girls!

Normally our PE team give me the "heads up" when it's cross country week, although they at least stay within school bounds unlike in my day (30 odd years ago)! I take great delight these days in telling students trying to get out of PE (I'm a duty first aider) that if I can run for 25 minutes (around 3 km) then they can surely manage a couple of laps of the field!

Great idea Peter ... Might have to suggest it to our head of PE!