Tenth Anniversary of the Beginning Women’s Running Program (2001)

By Kay Morrison

Ten years ago Dave Keaton, at the urging of his wife Kari, developed a training program for women preparing for the Run for Roses 5K At that time Kari Keaton and Anna Berdahl were co-directors of the race, which is part of the Women’s Distance Festival, and they felt that many women who were new to running could use some guidance and encouragement before trying a 5K race for the first time. So Dave, a good husband, worked out a ten-week schedule based not on distance but on time--that is, each training session lasted a certain number of minutes, no matter what distance was covered. This concept was especially appealing to new runners, who could now ease into running in small, manageable increments that gradually increased as the weeks went by. Dave (with the assistance of Royal Schomp for several years) coached the first groups with great success, and a valuable club program was born.

Ten years later this program, now called "Running Roses," is an annual springtime event for the club. Although Dave no longer actively coaches, he updates his schedule every year and the concept continues to be very successful. Many of the graduates are active members of the club, many are running marathons and other races, and some are coaching others. And every year there are several "repeaters" who, while no longer beginners, enjoy the structure and camaraderie provided, and take advantage of the intermediate schedule that was also provided by Dave.

This year, on its tenth anniversary, Running Roses was especially successful. Forty-eight women who had registered for the program in April finished the 5K race on June 23. A popular new feature this year was the formation of pace groups, each with a leader and a distinctive name such as "The I-T Bands," "The Hamstrings," and "The Glutes." The groups were required to stick together as a security measure, and this had the serendipitous effect of building team spirit and raising the spirits of individual runners as well..

One other happy tradition of Running Roses is that all of the coaches and leaders have been through the program previously (except for Dave; of course--he’s a guy) and have returned to give back some of the benefits they’ve realized. Patti Rich, Stephanie French, Adrienne Kelly, and myself have been the coaches most recently, and this year we hit a gold mine when we tapped Lona Brady, Cynthia McGrath, and Cherie Howell to be group leaders. They, and the coaches, have been so enthusiastic, reliable, and supportive that it’s no wonder the program is so successful.