FEATURE Massachusetts St., and one of the employees worked with me to find my perfect shoe. GO! Now that you've got your training schedule and a shiny new pair of running shoes, it's finally time to train. Training involves more than just a schedule, however. It gives runners an opportunity to discover what they like and what they don't. Ifound running with someone more enjoyable than running alone. I volunteered my boyfriend Andrew to train with me. He helped keep a steady pace when we trained outside. When he wasn't around, I picked a treadmill next to somebody at the gym to keep me motivated. Megan Chinander, a personal trainer at the Ambler Student Recreation Center, agrees a running buddy can be encouraging. "I figure I can't stop, because if I do, I am letting [that person] down," Chinander says. "Plus, I don't want to be a wuss and cop out early. If [that person] can do it, so can l." A running buddy can have two legs, or in Bärbel Göbel's case, four. Göbel, a German graduate student, says she started running in late October 2010 because it was a simple and cheap cardiovascular exercise. She hooked her dog Gracie up to a leash and started moving. "It helps that she loves to run, too," Göbel says. Her workouts with Gracie paid off. In December 2010, just a couple months after she started running, Göbel completed her first 5K in zero-degree weather. Chinander, the personal trainer, recommends running outdoors rather than on a treadmill. She says treadmills aren't as challenging as the outdoors, and the terrain helps distract runners from the toll of physical exertion. I found running outside difficult at first. I had always run on treadmills, so pacing myself was a challenge. I would start out fast and end up exhausted before the end of the first mile. Chinander says a lot of people are just like me — they use up all of their energy and then have nothing left at the end. Starting Photo Illustration by Travis Young Sole music: Individuals train harder with fast music. Create your own pump-up mix. out slow is important. Find your stride after the first couple miles and check in with your body periodically to see if you need to slow down. Music can offer motivation when a runner is lacking. Researchers at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences found that healthy individuals exercise harder with fast music. I found mash up music especially motivating. The musician Girl Talk accompanied me during most of my runs. Molly Jones, Lincoln, Neb., freshman, says she listens to upbeat music like rap and pop when she runs as well. She says the fast tempo of the songs helps her keep moving. CROSSING THE FINISH LINE... After I caught glimpse of the finish line, a feeling of relief and accomplishment came over me long before the race ended. I knew I had finished what I had started eight weeks ago. I had run my first 5K. The satisfied feeling I had was one that Barbara Fenton, Wallington, Conn., KU graduate, felt as well when she finished her first 5K last December. "Once I finished my first race, I realized it was a great high, and I wanted to do it again," Fenton says. "I can't believe all the weight I've lost and how great I feel overall." Fitness isn't the only motivator behind training for a 5K. Kortney Clifton, Topeka sophomore, started running recently because of her sorority. The sorority sisters have run in a few different 5K races for charity, which for Clifton is an added bonus. "After I finished my first race, it was a really good feeling because I knew I had done something that benefited someone else," Clifton says. As for me, I have caught the running bug. I never thought that would happen. During my years at KU, I've watched two of my roommates train for a half-marathon and a marathon, each time shaking my head and wondering, "Why?" I know why now. Running gives you a challenge, an adrenaline rush and an escape all in one, and I plan to keep doing it. I hope to see you out there as well. Photo by Travis Young Finish line: Justine Patton (right), with her boyfriend Andrew, runs her first 5k after training for eight weeks. A Beginner's Training Guide for a 5K Race
MONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY
WEEK ONERest or run/walkRun 1.5 milesRest or run/walkRun 1.5 milesRestRun 1.5 milesWalk30-60minutes
WEEK TWORest or run/walkRun 1.75 milesRest or run/walkRun 1.5 milesRestRun 1.75 milesWalk35-60minutes
WEEK THREERest or run/walkRun2 milesRest or run/walkRun1.5 milesRestRun2 milesWalk40-60minutes
WEEK FOURRest or run/walkRun2.25 milesRest or run/walkRun1.5 milesRestRun2.25 milesWalk45-60minutes
WEEK FIVERest or run/walkRun2.5 milesRest or run/walkRun2 milesRestRun2.5 milesWalk50-60minutes
WEEK SIXRest or run/walkRun2.75 milesRest or run/walkRun2 milesRestRun2.75 milesWalk55-60minutes
WEEK SEVENRest or run/walkRun3 milesRest or run/walkRun2 milesRestRun3 milesWalk60 minutes
WEEK EIGHTRest or run/walkRun3 milesRest or run/walkRun2 milesRestRest5K Race
Annotated brings changes to cupcakes. An assembly line-style bakery lets the customer pick the cake, filling and topping. INDEX Classifieds...3A Crossword...4A Cryptoquips...4A Opinion...5A Sports...8A Sudoku...4A Source: Hal Higdon, author of Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide TODAY'S WEATHER Scattered T-Storms All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan assistant director of the landscape department. Facilities Operations is in charge of eight flowerbeds that contain about 11,000 bulbs and hundreds of shrub beds. In addition to planting flowers, the crew picks up trash in the morning, mows the grass at least once a week and otherwise maintains the about 1,000 acres of land on campus. "I just want to have a nice place for people to come and learn." Harding said. "I want it to be a destination." Although some would like to keep the uprooted tulips instead of throwing them away, the University is not allowed to give them away because the flowers are bought with state money. Facilities Operations also tries to use native grasses in areas that aren't high in traffic, such as the West Campus, and limit the number of flowerbeds. This reduces costs and the number of ripped-out flowers. I'm trying to go so hard that someone requires a lot of water and I'm trying not to fertilize at all" Harding said. The only优izer the University is going to use this year is a self-de compost mix. "We keep all of the leaves and any green stuff in a big pile and we just keep turning it. Harding said, "It definitely helps us reduce our cost. We can just fill that in and let it decompose." SEE FLOWERS ON PAGE 2A TRAVEL Student to take "freedom ride" across country BY WESTON PLETCHER wpletcher@kansan.com Freshman travels the original route The first "freedom ride" took place almost 40 years ago when more than 400 black and white civil rights activists rode from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans on public buses to protest against segregation laws in the South. Dale, a freshman from Topeka, is one of 40 students from around the country to participate in Freedom Riders 2011, which is being organized by the Public Broadcasting Service series "American Experience." William Dale will get the chance to retrace the route of the original "freedom riders" in early May, joining a few of the original freedom riders and learning about civic engagement. "The students selected are the civic engagers of tomorrow. They are passionate about a plethora of issues," Dale said. "I hope to bring that passion back to KU. I want to learn from them and teach others From May 6 to May 16, Dale will travel by bus from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans just like the first freedom riders. The students will make stops at many of the locations that the original riders visited, which include Atlanta's Morehouse College; the Ankiston, Ala., Bus Station; Vanderbilt University's First Amendment Center; the historic First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala.; and finally will end the trip in New Orleans with a rally to welcome the original "freedom riders." about my experience." "There is so much to learn, and I look forward to absorbing as much knowledge as I can," Dale said. Dale said he was looking forward to the trip. He said he wanted to be able to discuss current social issues with other like-minded students. Edited by Samantha Collins William Dale, a freshman from Topeka, was one of 40 students from across the country to be accepted to participate in Freedom Riders 2011. Contributed photo