Hello Beginners!

What a great group we have!  Thanks to all of you who were able to attend the coffee last week.  It was so nice to have that extra time with you and get to know you a little better.

You are all doing really well, and we are right on track with our program.  It is very exciting for us to watch your progress.  Only a few weeks ago you were running 1 minute intervals and walking more than you were running.  You are now running 7 minute intervals!  This upcoming Thursday you will be running 40 minutes of the 60 minute workout.

Over the next few weeks, you will begin to notice a pace differential within the group.  This is totally normal, and to be expected.  Every one of us has an individual gait/running style and natural pace.  Those with a longer stride or faster cadence should start to migrate to the front of the pack, but please please be sure to run your natural pace.  If you are naturally a faster runner, and try to slow down too much, you could end up with knee or hip pain from trying to put on the brakes.  We know some of you want to keep running with your friends, but try to resist the temptation if your paces are different.  Do remember however that this is not a contest.  So don’t worry about where you fall in the group.  Just find your own individual pace and stick with it.  Bear in mind that because we are looking for endurance, it may still be a slower pace than you feel comfortable with for a short distance.  We know that some of you feel that the pace is too fast while others feel it is too slow and want to go faster.  It is our job as coaches to keep the running at a pace that will ultimately see you through this program.  Also, please remember to take the time to stretch before and after the run – it is very important.

Thank you all so much for joining this group.  We have really enjoyed getting to know you and are so proud of all of you.  We constantly get asked how our ‘beginner ladies’ are doing and enjoy impressing everyone with how well you have progressed!

Vicky and Meg