Just the other day, I was out running as the sky started to brighten. I was on Cooper Road coming back in toward the farm and saw a fog-laden spider’s web stretching more than 30 feet across the road.
It was just over head high. That spider web caused me to wonder how that spider could get from a small hardwood tree on one side of the road to a scrawny cedar tree on the other side, all the while manufacturing his web. His (or her) determination must have been incredible to pull off such an engineering feet.
I constantly hear from folks who say they wish they could run. Even more so, I hear from others who say that they must find a way to start getting in shape. The solution to both of these is the fall session of our Beginning Runners Classes.
Rowan Regional Medical Center and Salisbury Parks and Recreation will again partner with the Salisbury Rowan Runners to provide an affordable and entertaining series of classes intended to get aspiring runners moving.
Again this fall we will have two simultaneous series of classes. On Tuesdays at Rowan Regional Medical Center, the first class will kick off on Sept. 4. Then on Thursdays, we’ll do it again at the Civic Center starting on Sept. 6. We found this helpful to those attendees who have something come up on their class night. If someone registered on Tuesday has to miss a class, they can join the Thursday group and keep current. Start time for both classes is 6 p.m.
Cost for either class is again $65 per person. That fee includes eight weeks of classes, a training schedule, a t-shirt, entry into one 5K race after graduation and membership in the Salisbury Rowan Runners for one year.
A 30-minute classroom session will be held weekly with information on topics such as shoes and equipment, nutrition, safety, running form, stretching and strengthening, and injury prevention. Speakers for each class are professionals in that field and include Drs. Pam Roseman and Delaine Fowler, plus Peter Asciutto of Vac and Dash in Albemarle and Annice Chunn of the Salisbury Police Department among others. In addition to these Salisbury Rowan Runners members, others will be on hand to help answer questions and encourage participants in the classes.
One of the first questions I get is: “How far do we have to run on the first night?”
On that night, we will cover a half mile usually by combining walking and running. Then over the eight weeks of classes, we will increase to 3.1 miles, which just happens to be the distance of a 5K.
Each participant will have a weekly schedule that gradually increases the distance covered until the final week when we will actually run a certified 5K course. Nothing is ever said about running faster in these classes because the goal is to just learn to cover the distance.
More information on both classes can be found at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or by calling 704-638-5289 or 704-310-6741.
If group training is not your thing, Salisbury Rowan Runners also offers individual training tailored to your special needs. Fall is a great time of year to learn to run or to finish a first half marathon. Maybe you want to run a first marathon or run faster than you did in the last one. Individual coaching is available at www.Ulearn2run.com and we will be glad to help customize a program for either one person or a small group of individuals who want to train together. Costs for this training depend on how often the training is desired and the length of that training.
More information on individual training can be found at www.Ulearn2run.com and at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or by calling 704-310-6741.
Somehow that spider made his web. It started with the desire to do something and the determination to follow through.
That is not much different than the candidates who will be successful in these classes. I’ve often heard that the first hard step is the one out of bed and the next hard step is the one out the door. Pick out your choice of activities and come get a jump start toward a new way of life.
Running is great exercise and rewarding in so many other ways too. Graduates in the classes so far have ranged in age from 9 to 76. We hope to see you there.