I signed up for the 5K course on impulse, and it was a life-changing decision. I was convinced that I wouldn’t be able to run. Not the case! Up & Running not only taught me how to run, it completely changed my attitude to exercise.

I was so used to starting something new, then giving up after a few weeks when it got too hard. Up & Running taught me to really understand myself, that motivation isn’t a bolt out of the blue, and that perseverance isn’t as hard as it seems.

Yes, I’m fitter, trimmer and stronger. But that’s just one of the benefits. I’ve taken much more from Up & Running than just the ability to run, because the Up & Running attitude has filtered through to every aspect of my life. I have more determination to achieve things and I approach challenges in a much more focused way. I’m more adventurous, and more respectful of my body. I’m far more committed to my physical, mental and emotional health than I ever have been before. I’ve made incredible friends all over the world, and couldn’t ask for a better support network.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Up & Running to anyone and everyone. You don’t need to be super fit, or skinny, or athletic. All you need is the willingness to try and Up & Running will definitely change your life for the better.

I ran my first half marathon in 2 hours and 7 minutes. It was not easy, and neither was the training. However, with commitment to your goal and the excellent support and guidance from Up & Running, YOU CAN DO IT! I PROMISE!

I love that with Up & Moving walking regularly is now imprinted on my brain. It’s so much easier to do the robot thing and jump out of bed. Although I’ve been an on and off exerciser for many years, there have been some long stretches of “off” after which I’ve needed to resume at beginner level. I could never find anything basic enough; many courses claim to be for all levels but in reality they’re not always ideal for people at either end of the range. Up & Moving hits the sweet spot!

I am totally in love with the amount of support I have received through the courses, both from Shauna and Julia and my fellow participants. These ladies actually make you want to get out there and have a crack, in spite of the many obstacles life throws in our way.

Wanna know what else is really cool? I’m actually looking forward to my runs. For the first time in my adult working life, I’m excited for 4PM to roll around so I can get out of my work clothes and head out into the fresh air and spend some undisturbed time with me, myself and I.

Here’s something exciting… I can now go out for an easy run and do 10km. 10km! 1 hour! I can run distances I could only imagine driving by car, just two years ago. I LOVE IT SOOOOO MUCH and I feel like a rock star.

I’m so grateful to you both for creating this incredible program. I feel fitter, happier and more motivated than I have in years. I call myself a runner now and have so many running dreams and aspirations to pursue. What’s even better is that I know that with Up & Running I can achieve them… where have you been all my life?

Up & Running really has been the best thing I have done for myself in years, and not just for the running. My confidence and happiness in my own skin has increased so much and I love what my body can DO, rather than obsessing about what it looks like.

I loved every minute of the 5K Course! The lessons are built in such a well thought and helpful way, the forums are incredible and the whole experience was very positive. I always tell my friends, even after years that your class should be mandatory

I was a Couch to 5K refugee. I just couldn’t make it work for me and it left me more discouraged. Everyone here makes me feel like part of a team and keeps me accountable because I have to keep track of everything and report back. The Couch to 5K program really doesn’t offer that accountability. And the friendship. It feels like we are becoming long-distance friends, and who doesn’t want to run with friends?

I’ve really started to feel like I want to run, and I miss it a bit when I don’t. *PERSONALITY OVERHAUL KLAXON*.

Thanks a lot for Up & Moving, guys. I feel like I know what I’m doing. I’m actually completing a plan with progress built in and am moving forward. Also my legs feel like they are being woken up from a very long (horizontal) sleep!

Thank you so much Julia and Shauna. All your hard work and dedication has created something truly awesome… this course has easily been the best, sanest and most rewarding fitness thing I have ever done. My expectations have not so much been exceeded as completely blown away.

Shauna & Julia you guys are the best support and coach ever! Thank you for the empowerment to participate in these races.

I’m loving not having to think… I just plug in the Up & Moving plan and reap the smugness!

Up & Running sh*ts all over Couch to 5K! Shauna and Julia should be knighted (damed?) for getting me running.

I feel like I drank the Koolaid but the marathon instructions REALLY WORKED. Marvellous.

I’ve really enjoyed Up & Moving and I’m holding onto the things I’ve learnt. Firstly, I actually have to exercise rather than thinking about possibly exercising - need that robot approach. I also need to plan in advance and put it in my diary. I accept that there should be variety and challenges within a workout - I had got into a rut of “going for a walk” which was really a stroll. I’m amazed (and delighted!) that I improved over 2 minutes on my 1km times over the six weeks. Those timed 1km are such an easy way to show that the effort brings results!

I can’t believe that I started out 8 weeks ago, barely able to run 5k without stopping for a walking break, and today I ran a 10k. This course is the best!

No wonder my daughter loved and raved about this course so much! It beats the other programs hands down!

I really not can not express my gratitude in a way that I feel reflects all that I have received from Julia & Shauna. Thank you from the very depths of my heart… for the advice, the support, the workouts, the prodding along and mostly for bringing such an amazing group of women together and providing a place for us to share and grow in our struggles. Julia & Shauna… I never, in my wildest dreams, thought this course would be so much more than a training program for running. You are both a blessing.

I would be lost without my pink plans, LOST I tells you! I’m really enjoying feeling fit and being able to get out there and just run… I feel like myself again. This course came around at exactly the right time. Thank you so much, both of you.

This ‘running’ thing is like an octopus, it has tentacles that reach way beyond what I imagined it would and touches on a whole lot of different bits of life beyond just physical movement! The sense of potential I now feel about myself amazes me. You have helped me to achieve things I hadn’t believed possible, so now I have so much more belief in what I can do next in running and in life. Thank you for all having a part in creating such a rich and empowering experience!

I learned to trust Coach Julia. That was the critical element. Once I’d established that absolute trust I didn’t have to doubt my ability – I just had to do the training. I learned that if I could do five kilometres then ten was possible, because previously I thought I could run exactly zero kilometres. If you keep doubling the distance you get to a marathon eventually!

Thanks so much for keeping me accountable and being encouraging. The little things make a huge difference in motivation and pride in accomplishment. I ran a 5k just prior to starting this course. I’ve now cut 8:40 from that time. YAY! I feel so much better in mental attitude and fitness. (I also lost 11 pounds during the course).

I started walking in January 2010 after a lifetime of mostly inactivity. As my fitness levels improved, I walked faster and further. The next obvious progression for me was to start running but I didn’t know how. I wanted to do it safely and with a structured plan and a goal. Up & Running gave me that and so much more. I was able to share the good workouts and the bad workouts with other women who understood. I was able to support and encourage in return; we cheered each other on throughout the course.

At some point during the course, my running improved. The breathing, movement and mental side of the workouts clicked. Not that I can fly now, but I am a runner. And at the end of the course I ran 5K, something I had never thought I would be able to. I could see the difference in my legs; I was so much sleeker after the course than before! Four months on, I’m still training three times a week and I know that my fitness and stamina are improving. I talk about running alot and am always happy to point to Up & Running as a wonderful place to start or continue running.

It is unanimous: this course rocks, and Shauna and Julia are fabulous! This course has been so professional and clever and AMAZING, and the forum is the best thing ever. Thank you thank you thank you!

Up & Running helped me to make peace with my body and see it in a totally different way. I wasn’t strong, but I could run 5k. I was not thin, but I could run 10K. I was 40 with cellulite and floppy boobs but I could run 21K. Not everyone can do that!

If you’re someone who remembers the horrors of gym class, Up & Running offers the best possible solution. You have a personal cheering section led by the incomparable Shauna Reid and Julia Jones, both professional and passionate about engaging new runners; no one is ever left behind.

Up & Running was right for me because I didn’t have to commit to anyone else’s schedule. I planned my three runs a week and made it work. The course is delivered in bite-sized, just-in-time chunks. If you commit to the process, trust the U&R team, and use the forums to learn and support your running teammates, you will find courage and ability that you never knew you had!

The 8 weeks flew by and I’ve just ran my first 10K! I now run for the sheer enjoyment of it and I’m cheered on by my Up & Running friends from around the world. Me, a runner.

What Julia and Shauna do goes way beyond my expectations for an online class. I came here expecting training plans and a little more, but what I have received is a golden ticket for the Wonka factory.

The 5K Course has changed the course of my life. It helped me achieve goals that I always knew were possible but had no idea how to obtain them. It’s absolutely wonderful, and I don’t know how to thank you enough.

Cheapest therapy ever!

Not only was Julia a safe harbour to unleash my insecurities about the marathon, she gave me a detailed plan that was fun and achievable. I was confident being under her experienced guidance. Julia was supportive, kind and always knew the right thing to say when I had a ‘Can I really do this?!’ moment. Thanks to her coaching, I not only crossed the London Marathon finish line but I did it injury free as well!

While I was somewhat active before, I never considered myself capable of running a 5K. After reading the testimonials, I plucked up the courage to sign up. I’m so glad I did. The support of your fellow running mates is extremely addictive. Julia’s approach allows you to tackle the physical and mental challenges to running, and you’ll take away tools you can use for life.

I was pretty confident I’d finish the 5K Course, but I really didn’t expect to love it so much that I’d keep running. And I definitely didn’t expect to love the forums so much – so many amazing women: supportive, funny and all just trying their best.

I am genuinely flabbergasted that I started off as a real reluctant runner who plodded round 5km three times a week as a real chore. Each training session has been fun and with me being challenged, but not - uh - dead at the other end.

After 6 weeks of Up & Moving combined with a healthier diet, I can now walk a kilometre in 10:30 (down from 13+ mins). I’m 20 pounds lighter and I have a lot more energy. I’ve turned a corner with my health-related habits and now thinking of doing the 5K Course. I can take this momentum and continue to incorporate movement into my life so that I never go back to that sluggish, low-energy gal of just 6 short weeks ago.