Lines From Ms Lauren (June)
Running a “Personal Best” in the 2013 Jog For Hope – a SMART Goal
I have done a lot of running, and coached a lot of runners, in my life. I first joined a track club when I was 13 years old, and have run cross-country, track (800 m was my specialty), and the road race circuit ever since, except for a short break in my early twenties when I got chubby and somewhat unfit. (THAT may have to be the topic of another column – beware the “freshman 15”, 15 pounds (7 kg) being the average amount of weight that students gain in their first year at university.) My road racing included 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons (21K) and marathons (42K), as I discovered that endurance was my strength and lack of speed definitely my unconquerable weakness. I coached high school cross-country teams every year of my 33-year teaching career in Canada, and enjoyed sharing the love of running with thousands of young people on those teams
Mr. Josh (IB Chemistry teacher), Chin Kar Yern (IB Senior) and I are going to start a running club for TCSH in early July, with the main goal being preparation for the Jog for Hope run on September 15th. We will pick three times per week when the club members can meet to run together – one at 4:30 pm, one at 6:30 pm and one at 7:00 am. We will create a custom training plan for everyone who joins, and hope to have a full range of members’ experience – from never having run at all and wanting to get ready for the 3K Fun Run, to experienced runners looking for motivation and support in the months leading up to Jog For Hope so they can be competitive in the 6.5K or the 10K. The training plans will suggest 4 – 6 training runs per week, so many of them will be done on your own schedule, not on the official club running days. We will hope that every club member can attend at least one of the club runs each week. Staff members and family members are welcome too!
One of the things I always loved about running is that it is an activity where goal-setting and following a plan actually make an immediate, noticeable difference. Every time you run a distance, it feels a little easier than the time before, AND you go a little faster. Regular training, especially when you first take up running, will cause you to improve steadily and continuously, truly almost every time you go out. And this happens for everyone, not just for super athletes or natural runners. It is very satisfying, so satisfying that I really want to share it with some of you! Because it is such a powerful, measurable example of the success created by goal-setting and planning, I am sure that the lessons learned by this running experience could easily be transferred to your academic studies and your professional goals as well. Now would be a really good time to revisit your goals for the upcoming semester, and to create an action plan to achieve them. What are you going to do more often next semester? What are you going to do better next semester? You have to repeat something 21 consecutive times in order for it to become a new habit…
Another good reason for TCSH students (and staff members) to run is stated by Denise Schipani, a writer for the “Runner’s World” website: “You're smart to run and smarter because you do—hitting the pavement helps grow new brain cells, makes you a better learner, and boosts memory”. See her whole article, with links, here.
I hope that many of you join the new TCSH Running Club. It will start unofficially the week of July 1st, and officially the week of July 15th, after the ECA Recruitment Drive. Here’s to a new, smarter, fitter TCSH community!
P.S: TCSH students, make sure you have "liked" our official Facebook page "Taylor's College Sri Hartamas - TCSH" if you want to keep up with the college news, events and notices.
I have done a lot of running, and coached a lot of runners, in my life. I first joined a track club when I was 13 years old, and have run cross-country, track (800 m was my specialty), and the road race circuit ever since, except for a short break in my early twenties when I got chubby and somewhat unfit. (THAT may have to be the topic of another column – beware the “freshman 15”, 15 pounds (7 kg) being the average amount of weight that students gain in their first year at university.) My road racing included 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons (21K) and marathons (42K), as I discovered that endurance was my strength and lack of speed definitely my unconquerable weakness. I coached high school cross-country teams every year of my 33-year teaching career in Canada, and enjoyed sharing the love of running with thousands of young people on those teams
Mr. Josh (IB Chemistry teacher), Chin Kar Yern (IB Senior) and I are going to start a running club for TCSH in early July, with the main goal being preparation for the Jog for Hope run on September 15th. We will pick three times per week when the club members can meet to run together – one at 4:30 pm, one at 6:30 pm and one at 7:00 am. We will create a custom training plan for everyone who joins, and hope to have a full range of members’ experience – from never having run at all and wanting to get ready for the 3K Fun Run, to experienced runners looking for motivation and support in the months leading up to Jog For Hope so they can be competitive in the 6.5K or the 10K. The training plans will suggest 4 – 6 training runs per week, so many of them will be done on your own schedule, not on the official club running days. We will hope that every club member can attend at least one of the club runs each week. Staff members and family members are welcome too!
One of the things I always loved about running is that it is an activity where goal-setting and following a plan actually make an immediate, noticeable difference. Every time you run a distance, it feels a little easier than the time before, AND you go a little faster. Regular training, especially when you first take up running, will cause you to improve steadily and continuously, truly almost every time you go out. And this happens for everyone, not just for super athletes or natural runners. It is very satisfying, so satisfying that I really want to share it with some of you! Because it is such a powerful, measurable example of the success created by goal-setting and planning, I am sure that the lessons learned by this running experience could easily be transferred to your academic studies and your professional goals as well. Now would be a really good time to revisit your goals for the upcoming semester, and to create an action plan to achieve them. What are you going to do more often next semester? What are you going to do better next semester? You have to repeat something 21 consecutive times in order for it to become a new habit…
Another good reason for TCSH students (and staff members) to run is stated by Denise Schipani, a writer for the “Runner’s World” website: “You're smart to run and smarter because you do—hitting the pavement helps grow new brain cells, makes you a better learner, and boosts memory”. See her whole article, with links, here.
I hope that many of you join the new TCSH Running Club. It will start unofficially the week of July 1st, and officially the week of July 15th, after the ECA Recruitment Drive. Here’s to a new, smarter, fitter TCSH community!
P.S: TCSH students, make sure you have "liked" our official Facebook page "Taylor's College Sri Hartamas - TCSH" if you want to keep up with the college news, events and notices.
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