The runners in the Learn to Run Clinics are warming up. The clinics, which run Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting at Yorkton Regional High School, gather together runners of all skill levels, to train for races of three different lengths, 5km, 10km and half-marathon.
The 5km is the shortest race, and most likely to get a beginner, someone who has just begun running and has never run a race before. One of those runners is Susan Muir, who started the running club with an aim of taking on the 5km run in the Health Foundation’s annual charity road race.
It began with a health scare for Muir, who had been experiencing silent migraines. Taking it as a sign that she had to do something different in her life, it inspired Muir to change her diet, going to eat more fresh food, join a gym and get more active.
“Running on a treadmill, I had got up to 5km. When I saw this running clinic, I knew it was for me, because running outside is a lot more difficult and is one of my goals, by the end of June, to run 5km, and I’m going to do it.”
The running clinic is good for a newcomer like Muir, she said, because it’s a gradual build, going from ‘couch to 5km,’ gradually increasing the distance of the run and training people. The program, overseen by Bernie Wlock for the 5km group runners, is a way to build up to the longer race.
The other advantage of starting with the Learn to Run Clinic is the group of runners, Muir said, because it’s a welcoming environment, which encourages the runners to grow into the sport together.
“We’re all starting at the same place and pace, and we can see a goal in mind.”
A teacher, she said that she believes in sharing her goals with her students, so by doing this, she’s being a positive role model. She also hopes to see some students take on the challenge themselves, and run in the Health Foundation Charity Road Race in August.
But what about the migraines that started Muir running in the first place?
“I haven’t had a headache in a long time now that I’ve increased my exercise... Running is helping my health for sure.”
