The thumbnails are for pictures taken of my former students participating in a local 5K race. See if you know any of these brave souls! I want to break the record for most students attended, 113, set in the fall of 2005. I especially want to see first time runners!! As an important goal of this semester, I want to have over 20% of the class run a 5K race. At this point I believe we will be running the "SCHLOTZSKY'S BUN RUN " at 8 AM on April 13, 2008. This will be on campus, so it is easy for most of you to attend. Here is the race website:
One of the things I feel strongly about is that learning how to stay physically fit is an important part of any college education. A vast array of common diseases can be entirely prevented with a consistent level of fitness as an adult. I also believe that the college years are the best time to begin a lifelong pattern of staying fit. Believe me, it is much harder to get into shape the older you get, and the older you start, the less likely you are to stick with it.
There are many great ways to stay in shape, and I prefer running. My family and I run a lot of local races and I actively encourage my classes to participate. There is always an "incentive" relating to class if a sufficient number of students finish a race. I have several former students who still run, and they comment that learning to enjoy running was perhaps the most important thing they learned in my class.
Runtex is a local store that sponsors the races, and the highlighted link will take you to their race information page. I strongly recommend that you look at the races and pick the ones most appropriate for your level of fitness.
Runtex offers a number of FREE running groups at various levels to help you get in shape. There are also many other programs on the UT campus and with other organizations that can help you get started. If you run the trail around town lake, chances are you will see me and my family a few times this semester.
