During the 5th year of my fitness journey, my friend told me about a beginner running program she found to help her train and complete a 5k race (a bucket list item for her). At that point I had done all the activities I saw others doing on the beautiful bike paths of Rhode Island, except running, so naturally this program piqued my interest. 

The beginner run group was run by Rhode Runner, a wonderful local sneaker and sports apparel store in Providence, RI. The group goal was to train you to run a 5k race in a 8 week session. You run 2 nights a week with a very supportive coach (Coach E or Coach Ray) and a very encouraging group of pacers.

The training starts with run / walk intervals. Training started out being very manageable, the whistle for the walk interval would come just as I needed it. The principle of the training is to always stay at a conversational pace as we ran. Which was wonderful allowing me to chat and make a bunch of new friends, friends I cherish to this day. The training definitely got more challenging, thankfully the support of my teammates, coaches and pacers pulled me through!

The beginner group gets you up to speed on the correct gear and sneakers you need, as well other products, GPS watches, foam rollers and energy supplements. Rhode Runner also has people speak about various running topics, like good form running and injury prevention. 

As a new runner in my mid-forties, I felt very informed and supported with the Rhode Runner beginner running program. I added running as another activity to keep me moving and feeling fit. And just as advertised, I ran my 1st 5k race, October 30, 2016 at a time of 34:08, to date it is my personal record (PR).