There are those who believe there are just two kinds of people in the world – runners, and people who think runners are crazy. Erin Girzone is the former, and having teamed with Peter Larson and the Concord Recreation Department, she’s working on the latter, hoping to make the sport of running accessible to everyone, one K at a time.
Girzone and Larson just completed the second “5K, Yes I Can!” program, a nine-week endeavor in which novice runners learn all the ins and outs of the sport – training, pacing, shoe fitting, nutrition, recovery – in a course that culminates with a 5K run, which this year was the Leap 5K on June 8.
More than 20 participants went through the paces with Girzone and Larson, who team-taught the course, and seven runners completed the Leap 5K, the first such run for many of the participants.
“If you told me a year ago I would have run a 5K, I would have laughed,” Sarah Summerlin said. “I never thought at my age I’d be out there running and feeling good about it. But the runner’s high is really a true thing.”
The basic principle of the course is simple – running can truly be for anyone. Whether you do so while humming the theme to Chariots of Fire is entirely up to you.
“To have people say, ‘I never thought I could run,’ is probably the best part of it, that it really can be an enjoyable thing for them,” Girzone said. “That’s probably the best feedback. Anybody that wants to do it can do it. It’s so accessible for people. The positive attitude about running (from people who took the course) is pretty apparent just from talking with everyone.”
There were indeed some converts. Summerlin said she started out running for about three minutes before needing to slow to a walk and was easily cruising through 20 minutes without a rest toward the end of the training. She completed the 5K without stopping to walk once.
“I would not be running today if I hadn’t taken the class,” Summerlin said. “It just makes you feel good. It gives you that sort of endorphin run, and your body looks better, you feel better. It’s just good all-around.”
“I never thought I’d run in my life, but Erin told me I could,” Martha LeMahieu, another runner who completed her first 5K at the end of the course, said. “It’s a nice accomplishment to feel that you’ve done it. Truthfully on the day of the race I thought I’d be walking most of it, but it’s good to have people pushing you along, and I think that experience of having people around you doing the same thing (is important).”
That was a major tenet of the training, which included two group runs every week – one on Thursday evening and one on Sunday afternoon. Runners were broken into four groups based on their pace and ran together as a way to increase motivation and accountability.
But the training went well beyond running. There were workshops on selecting the proper running shoes, as well as nutrition, recovery and strength training. There was also video analysis of running form and constant positive feedback from Girzone and Larson, co-coaches who each have extensive backgrounds in the sport.
“It’s a physical activity, but it’s also very much a mental game,” Girzone said. “Really any physical activity is all about the mental piece.”
Said Larson: “It’s amazing. I absolutely love doing it. As a runner, I came to it myself about six years ago and have just gotten so much out of it, and it kind of felt good to give something back and get other people involved. It’s really rewarding, because people learn what they can accomplish. It seems like it might be impossible at the beginning, but by the end of it they build that slow progression and do things they wouldn’t have thought were possible when they started.”
Slow progression was certainly a focal point. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they start running on their own is trying to bite off more than they can chew at the outset.
“You progress slowly so your body has time to adapt,” Girzone said. “You can’t progress too slowly, but you can definitely progress too quickly and set yourself back. We tried to develop a program with options for everyone.”
Count Holly Carson among the converts. She previously ran in fits and starts because she was constantly derailed by injuries, but found a comfort zone with the training offered in the recent course.
She also changed her tune in regards to runners being a little cuckoo.
“I look forward to my runs,” Carson said. “I used to think runners were crazy people, and now I love it. It’s a great thing to have in your bag of fitness tools.”
The program was born out of Girzone’s love for the sport. She’s run a marathon, several half-marathons and countless 5 and 10Ks and was excited for the opportunity to get others started on the same quest. Larson had a similar desire to share his knowledge, which he’d previously used as an exercise physiologist and former professor at Saint Anselm College.
“My dad is really the one who got me interested in running. I enjoyed it even when I was in middle school,” Girzone said. “I always feel the most alive when I run. It must be that runner’s high.”
That being one of the few highs you can legally pass to others, Girzone and Larson hope to continue doing so. A fall course will run from Sept. 5 to Oct. 24 and is already accepting sign-ups. The cost is $75 for residents of Concord and $85 for non-residents.
“I designed this program from the start with the goal of making smart runners,” Girzone said. “I wanted it to be comprehensive, including all of the important information every new runner should know so that he or she has the best chance of not only succeeding at the 5K, but at becoming a runner for life. It’s a great way to be healthy and active and it makes you feel good.”
