Running at LBCC is a Healthy way to go

They're on the Wellness Trail. That's where you'll  find Jayme Frazier and her LBCC running class. And it's more than just a cinder track that starts behind the Activity Center. It includes the foggy winter weather, chatting with friends, and the simple act of running that a student said  he "loved."

But mostly they're just following the Wellness Trail. Because running can improve your health. Here at LBCC, you can start a running club, jog/walk with a class, take your own way on trails across campus or on rainy days run around the gym. And it's all on the Trail.

Frazier, the jogging teacher, glows with vigour. Lean and fit looking, she said that running "keeps her in tune." Then dryly she listed all the physical issues that don't bother her, "probably because I run." She took up the sport after college as a way to keep healthy. Now it's been 20 years, and she's teaching jogging because, "I know what it gives me. I want to help people stay on track." So,  she thinks running can keep college students  mentally and physically strong through these hard years?

"Absolutely."

Runners seem a mentally strong group. They speak of dreary acts of will, like marathons, with grins and excited eyes. Frazier is hoping to qualify for one of the top races in the nation, the Boston marathon. Cole Newman, a student, was registered in a marathon for a birthday present. Brad Carman, former track coach, has a "couple" marathons to his credit.

And in a larger scale, is the craziest example of all, Dean Karnazes, a typical running hero. He's raced in 50 marathons in 50 days and in super races across the world like those covered in the Timesonline. 

Yes, said, Kristi Murphey, PE teacher and runner, mental toughness is "huge." Eagerly, she praises her sport. "It teaches me to do more than you think you can."

But runners across campus think that it isn't just about dealing with pain, it relaxes.
Frazier: "I didn't realize the benefits of stress release." 
Kristi Murphey:  "It helps with depression."
Frank Warren: "Running makes you feel good."
"Literally afterwards I can focus better," said student Lori Murphie.

 Murphie, bundled up to the ears against the cold, shining with earnestness, 44 and getting back to jogging, thinks it is "enormous," not just for the mind but for the body. " It's a must for health...everything."

The health question sets runners heads nodding. Kristi Murphey had a friend who lost 100 pounds with running. Carman has seen people take up running to fix bad hearts or diabetes.

 Warren, who wants to start a jogging club on campus, was inspired by the story of John Bingham in The Courage to Start. This man began running when he "looked like a penguin." And the story is... he doesn't look like one anymore.

 The experts are beginning to agree with the runners. The envious detractors of running are being forced to back off. There is still a question of whether chronic running can hurt your heart (Timesdaily.) But, said, Frazier "Walking is for everybody."

Behind the Activity Center, in a smooth green field, the Wellness Trail starts. Maybe we should pull on our running shoes and get moving, thud, thud, thud...

The first five steps to running (from time-to-run.com)

1. Get a good pair of running shoes

2. Start by walking 

3. Exercise at least three times a week

4. For the first two months don't run for two days in a row

5. Determine exercise length by time not distance

(Suggested link: Couch potato to 5K )