Autumn is my very favorite season. I love the crisp air and the glorious colorful leaves. It is the time of year that I love to take walks. And so yesterday I hit the local rail-trail. (Blog photo above is from yesterday’s walk, taken with the iPhone 5, just a quick snap and no-editing).

I was not alone on the trail. Bikers, walkers and runners were all taking advantage of the perfect day.

There are many wonderful fitness apps, but the one that I thought I’d share today is Couch-to-5k.

If you are a new runner, or someone who is even thinking about running, this app might be something that you would like to try.

All you do is …… touch START.

That’s it! So very easy to use. A human voice will guide you. (You have the choice of 3 virtual coaches). He/she will tell you to walk, and after a while he/she will tell you to run (briefly) and then walk again. Run, then walk, repeat, repeat. For 30 minutes.

The beginning intervals start with just a minute and a half of jogging, followed by 2 minutes of walking, repeat, repeat.

Each week the workout changes somewhat. A subtle increase. A little tiny bit more running, and a little less walking. The intervals of running increase slightly as you gradually improve.

These workouts gently shift your activity from walking to running.

You can play your own music through the app, and you will still hear the voice giving you your prompts.

Personally, I am not ever going to be a runner. I can’t even walk very fast. But I still enjoy the encouraging voice and I use the “running time” to speed up my walk just a bit. It also keeps me honest by walking for a full 30 minutes.

But for someone who would like to run, and needs some help to get started, this app would be incredibly valuable.

Engadget and Runner’s World both think highly of Couch to 5k, and you can see their praise highlighted here in the app description. Couch to 5K is $1.99 in the iTunes store.