Fitness Begins on the Outside
The new year is only four days old, which means resolutions probably haven’t been broken yet. And if fitness is involved in your pledge, you are no doubt being tantalized by the lithe bodies in the health-club advertisements being aimed at you from all directions.
The reality, unfortunately, is most people in gyms look like the rest of us while they are rediscovering the treadmill. Besides, indoor exercise is only one of the ways to work your way into shape. Try heading outdoors, the weather’s great.
One fine option is training with A Snail’s Pace Running Shop, which is starting a program Sunday to prepare runners for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon June 3 in San Diego and the Flo-Jo Memorial Half Marathon May 28 in Laguna Hills.
“We always seem to get a little higher enrollment during this time of year,” said Richard Scott, who runs the training program for the Fountain Valley running shoe store. “I think people are trying to get off the couch.”
The program meets at 7 a.m. Sundays at the Edison Community Center in Huntington Beach. At the first meeting runners will warm up for two miles and then be assessed by coaches during a 12-minute run on the track. Runners are then grouped by ability so they can pace each other during training.
“It’s kind of a reality check, too,” Scott said.
The marathon and half-marathon programs are recommended for those who are already running about three miles daily, but the shop also offers an entry-level program for beginners. That program, which meets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7 a.m. Saturdays at the Huntington Beach Pier, aims to get people ready to compete in a 5K or 10K in the next three months.
For more information call (714) 969-5899.
SNOW DAYS
Another way to get outdoor training is the Sierra Club’s Wilderness Travel Course, which starts Tuesday night at Orange High School.
The 10-week program features lectures by experienced mountaineers and four weekend outings, including a final snow-camping trip in the High Sierra.
Some of the subjects covered are conditioning, navigation, rock-scrambling and winter backpacking. Details: (949) 496-6530 or on the Web at https://www.angeleschapter.org/wtc