Run a Race (Part 1)

Imagine the date is April 10th, 1950 in the town of Atlanta, Georgia. Spring is in full bloom. The cool breeze hits your face as a relief from the mild sun which shines down. All the colors on the flowers and trees around you are sharp and vibrant. This would be a prefect day to run. But, what you would not see on Preachtree Street that day is a runner. In the 1950s, running for exercise and "fun" was plain weird. I was recently talking with an older gentleman in the locker room at my gym. Though he can't run any more, he loves running. He told me how he would wait until the sun would set and the night was dark when he made his run. He loved it but in fear of being laugh at, he would not tell anyone. How things have changed! The advent of running in America for sport, exercise, and fun wasn't popular until the 1970s. Many today enjoy running. For those who enjoy running or would like to run, here are a few pointers in helping you start running or continue this pleasure. I will focus my attention to those who are beginner or immediate runners.

1) Pick a race.

If you never have run before and would like to start, my advice is to pick a race and train for it. Your goal is not to win the race, but to learn the discipline of running. Hopefully, while you are training for the race, you will develop a desire to run not only for this race, but for many races to come. I have talked to many committed runners that by deciding to train and run one race, they are running now for a life time.

If you have been running for a while, you know that one thing can easily happen: Your running becomes stale and flat-footed because you don't have a goal. Periodically, running a race is very good.

How do you pick a race?

Races come in all different sizes. 5k to Ultra-Marathons (100 miles). The most common road races are 5k (3.1 miles) and 10k (6.2 miles). If your a beginner, I would recommend starting out running a 5k.

Once you have decided on the distance of your race, you need to consider how long do you want to train for the race and see if there are any races available. If you live in Atlanta, I would bookmark the Atlanta Track Club's Racing Calendar (http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/calendar/at01010.htm). You will find most of the races in the Altanta area and information about those races.

to be continued...