Smile while shuffling into world of running
The 33rd annual Vancouver Sun Run, set for Sunday, April 23, has inspired people of all ages and skills to lace up and train at SportMedBC clinics around the province, including bloggers Kelli Lea Jennings and Glen Schaefer: If I could say one thing to anyone who is thinking about maybe giving this (Sun Run InTraining clinic) a try, I would say: You are not alone in your nervousness.
Even just thinking about getting involved is a step in the right direction. Now put your thoughts into action — take the first step and walk through the door.
You will find so much more than just a “running clinic.” You will find a warm, welcoming group of people who are at varying levels of fitness, from the super speedy to the fresh-off-the-couch crowd.
As clinic leaders our main concernismakingsureyougetthemost out of the program. Our interval training for (Week 1) started with a five-minute walk to get warmed up and then run one minute — yes, that’s right, I said one minute, then walk two minutes and repeat until you reach eight intervals.
C’mon, you know you can run for one minute! It’s not a flat-out run either. It’s a shuffle — low impact, the speed of a brisk walk. Coach Lynn Kanuka calls it the Cha-Cha!
The added benefit? You will make new friends along the way. You’ll have fun! It’s true.
So what do you say? Want to give it a try? It’s not too late to sign up. I have never met anyone who has regretted it.
GLEN SCHAEFER
I haven’t caught the mythical runner’s high — yet. My learn-to-run clinic is easing us in with alternating short stretches of relaxed jogging and walking, but I have been liberated from the bonds of fashion.
Nobody dresses funnier than a nighttime runner in a Vancouver cold spell.
You’ve got the fanny pack bobbling at the back, and multicoloured lights attached to heads, heels and parts in-between.
Then there are the shapeless rain jackets in mandatory, eye-searing fluorescent colours. Throw in some reflective stripes on jackets and pants. Drivers won’t run you over, but they will laugh as they glide by in heated, fashionable comfort.
Top off with an old toque and mismatched mitts for the cold. Also, running shoes aren’t fashionable, unless they cost $1,000 and are worn in hip-hop videos!
When I signed up to blog about my novice training routine for this year’s Vancouver Sun Run, I was issued a free pair of black running pants, and a grey long-sleeved Tshirt. Unfamiliar with running wear, I showed up for my first clinic with the pants on backwards.
How my fellow runners chuckled, in that kettle-calling-the-pot kind of way. Next clinic, I had the pants on the right way. They still looked funny.