>>All right everyone we'll
go ahead and get started.

We have our captains.

Why don't the captains
come on up here today.

I think we actually

may have more captains
than participants,

(laughing)

but the captains,

should be showing
you something here.

They're demonstrating
that weather like this

doesn't bother them.

>>Why do I run?

I think the answer to
that's changed over time.

In the beginning I
ran for the challenge,

I started in the
Four Miler's Training

the Women's Four
Miler Training Program

and then now I run more for
community and friendship,

to stay sane.

>>(chuckling)

Running is, it's so great

and I think Mark really
hammers it into everybody

who has ever done
one of his programs.

His goal is to help people
become life-long runners

and he and the Track
Club have been there,

and have supported
me in my goals,

just the way that
he's supported,

his elite athletes
and their goals.

>>If you're interested
in training for the
Boston Marathon,

or you just want to run a
couple of miles every day,

this show is especially for you.

Join us as we catch up
with coach Mark Lorenzoni

and Leah Conner, members of
the Charlottesville Track Club.

Come on!

(jolly music)

>>Track Club got
started just a few years

before I arrived in '78 so
they started in about '75.

And I think it was
just the notion

of keeping the sport alive

after your competitive
time in high school

and college had run out

that you could
continue to compete

throughout your lifetime.

But a lot of folks, never
compete in high school.

>>Right

>>So the track club's mission
in a sense has evolved

and changed over the years
as society has changed.

We have people at 44 years
old realize, "Oh my gosh,

I'm a really good marathoner
and I never ran in my life

and then two years ago in the
Boston marathon." So it's --

>>Yeah. So Leah,
let,s talk about

how you got involved
with the club

and where you started and
what you're doing now.

>>Well, I joined the marathon

and half marathon
training program in 2007.

I was trying to run
my first marathon

and I started running

basically just to stay
in shape and lose weight

and realized I'm kind
of decent at this,

and so I got involved
in the training program.

and if you don't have a
coach and a training program,

it's very hard to go off the
rails and do your own thing

and think you know
what you're doing,

and I had some good years and
bad years and finally in 2012,

I qualified for Boston
for the first time.

>>So i think it shows a
lot that somebody can join

the program not having ever run,

ever in their lives

>>Right.

>>Run their first marathon,
it can not go so well,

and with time and training

you can end up running
the Boston marathon.

>>So first thing
is perceived effort

and it's based on
environment, terrain

and how you're feeling and
your current fitness level.

So if you are running

and you are pushing
it out like that

you're going too fast.

You need to slow it down.

You really want to learn
you can almost the zen

of your breathing.

You getting in
touch with yourself

and getting very
comfortable with what

that breathing pattern is.

>>The best advice is
just get into a routine.

So you don't have to be
fast and you don't have

to have a lot of
miles all the time

but the routine of getting out
three or four times a week,

you just learn that
you feel better,

you have more energy,

and if that's your expectation
then it's not quite so hard

to take that first
step out the door.

>>It's been since '08 that
every Saturday morning,

I'm running with
the group someplace,

and then Mark gives us his
really great personalized plans,

so I know how many miles
and what kind of pace

for the rest of the week.

>>So let's talk about
some of the programs

that are provided
through the track.

Four Miler, Men's Four Miler.

>>We start with the Men's Four
Miler, Women's Four Miler,

which are the
pre-elementary, the start

people starting out
having never run before.

And then we have the
10-Miler training program,

so if you're coming
off the couch and

you're in program
one and we start

with what you saw this morning

out there in the
rain with the guys

with the men's
four-miler program,

it's pretty similar to that
starting out program one,

and program six is
an advanced group,

experienced, has already
run the 10-miler looking

to run a faster time.

And then we have the one
that Leah just talked about

which I call kind
of the PhD program

and it's the marathon,
half-marathon.

>>Running the marathon is,

unlike anything I'd
ever done before.

I think the accomplishment
in hindsight,

was actually getting
to the start line.

It's an enormous
amount of training

and an enormous amount of time.

The best advice I got was
to take it mile by mile,

and if you do that,

and then all of a sudden
you're at the finish,

and it's just an
incredible feeling

to cross that finish line.

>>One of the really nice things
about our Saturday runs is,

I'm often at the
back of the pack,

I'm not up with
the elite runners,

but I'm always welcome no matter
how fast or how slow I run.

>>I've been a member,

I've done the 10-miler
training program,

I've been a captain for the
10-miler training program,

I volunteer for packet pickup,

I run all the races
and it's a great way

to just sort of drop yourself
into an immediate friendship.

>>Running and walking
are two great activities

where you can converse.

>>See and that's
when I was younger'

I was a runner, when
I was in high school

and I was a good runner,

but it was because
we could talk.

Maybe that's why I'm not
a good runner anymore.

I've got no one to talk
to. (people laughing)

>>And that's the thing. We
have people of all abilities

and so there are people
that I might run with

to train with but there are also

the people who I've
met through running

that are slower
or faster than me

that i still am friends with

because we have that
common interest in running.

>>And tell Terri some of
where those friendships

form is through
volunteering together.

>>Like I said it's a co-op,
because when you give in

and you take out.

>>And you're helping
other runners,

you're helping a good course,

and it's a great way to
meet people and have fun.

Everybody who volunteers at any

of the races I'm involved
with says how much fun it was.

>>Name some of these races

and some of the causes
that are benefitting.

>>We are used to our big ones,

the 10-miler and the 4-miler,

and the 4-miler is a locked
in course every year,

it's the UVA Breast Care Center.

It's anywhere from 320
to 370,000 dollars.

The Charlottesville
10-miler changes

its recipient every
year, this year it's Sara

and last year it was Maca,

Virginia Institute for Autism.

>>Yeah.

>>The new year's day
race raises money for

the boys and girls club

that starts off the
year in a good place.

>>It's interesting the track
club is in the background.

There's only couple of events

that we really pound our chest,

but something like
the wounded warrior

we're there complete
support system

but behind the scenes,

and we do get a really
big thrill out of again,

entertaining and raising money.

And most people will admit,

they love to go
out and footrace.

It's social, it's
active, it's competitive

and they continue that ongoing

competitive career
beyond high school.

>>So, but then you
also have track meets.

>>Yes, my favorite
event of the year is

that all-comers
summer track meets,

but it's at the UVA track
and we get kids of all ages

and these kids are so excited
to be out on the track

and they get huge
smiles on their faces

and then you get some
pretty serious adult runners

that are trying
to run a fast mile

or we also have the 5K option.

>>We only charge
a dollar or two.

>>And for like a
dollar or two dollars

you can run as many
events as you want.

All the kids get these ribbons.

>>That is the
epicenter, ground zero

of the Charlottesville
Track Club.

So the very first event

the Charlottesville
Track Club put on

was those all-comers meets,

and I would argue those
meets haven't changed

they are mantra.

>>You're inspiring young people

who might one day
be olympic runners

or just really healthy people.

>>At least a hundred
kids every meet.

>>And you have people
who came as a kid

and then they bring their kids.

>>And the UVA track is amazing.

>>That relationship
with the university

has been really special
and somewhat unique.

That's the only
athletic facility still
open to the public.

We're lucky to have it.

That's a seven million dollar
olympic caliber facility.

>>I've been running
exactly one week.

So far so good.

I've ran four or
five times this week

and today my first mile,

and so I'm pretty
proud of myself.

I can understand the
addiction to running

and the pleasure that
people get out of it.

>>I think the best part of
the training program is just

you're around other
people starting out so

the day you don't really
feel like doing it,

there's a little
bit of motivation

and then it's really
easy to see the progress.

These guys who
started last week.

We walked and ran a half mile

and by early November they'll
be ready to run four miles

and that's quite
an accomplishment.

>>As a coach, what's the
most important thing?

>>For me the relationship
with the athlete.

I say this over and over again.

Communication between the
coach and the athlete,

and so if you have an achilles
issue on a Monday morning,

I as your coach
I can't help you,

if you don't tell me
about it for ten days

when now you're limping.

So i think trusting the coach

and having the
open communication.

>>Talk about some
of the other things

the club is involved in.

>>We also have a
scholarship program

for high school students and
we have an awards ceremony

and a membership
party for the people

that are a part of the club.

We like to recognize
volunteers and the people

that have given back to
the track club because,

that's really
important we can't do,

like we said, we're not paid.

We're doing all this
because we love the sport

and we want to
help other people.

>>And we hope
ultimately that many,

Leah's a perfect example, of
someone who wasn't necessarily

a member of the
club, got involved

and now is probably one
of the most active members

of the club if not the most
active giving back person.

>>Yeah and so that's the
great thing about social media

and the internet is that

we have over 1600 likes
on our Facebook page now.

We don't have 1600 members
but we have 1600 people

who are interested in
running in Charlottesville.

That's what's important to me.

Whether you pay your
membership dues or not.

If you do a race that we run,
if you do a training program

that we run in your mind
you're part of our community

and that's what I care about.

The reason I got
involved in helping with

the website and all
this other stuff is

I would notice that the race
results from the track meets

aren't up yet. I wonder
who's doing that.

I'll do it because it's
so important to me.

>>If everybody was like that
when they got frustrated

about something in our community

and they actually then
did something about it,

how different the
world would be.

>>You can go to the
website, there's all kinds

of information, you can
find out when the races are,

what the races are, what
training is available.

>>I always tell people,
the ultimate kind of notion

or the ultimate kind of
label for the track club is

we're the ultimate running
resource within the community

and if we're not doing that
we're not doing a good job.

We have talks and lectures,

and we go from kids to masters.

Our oldest members are
in their mid-eighties

and our youngest kids this
summer were three years old,

two years old running.

>>That's great.

>>It was a little more elite
oriented back in the seventies.

If someone was to say what's
the biggest difference.

Most of the membership
back in the seventies,

they had already
had an accomplished
competitive background.

>>Right.

>>And today the complexion

of the club is
dramatically different.

We do still have that
person but we also,

many of our members had never
run before in their life

let alone years ago.

>>It's a great...

>>Very very welcoming
organization.

>>Great resource and a
wonderful part of our community

and I thank you all for
spending time with me today

especially in the rain.

>>Thanks for taking
the time, Terri.

>>The hardest part about running
is just making time for it

and especially when
you're slow like me

and you're an eleven
minute mile runner

to go out and run ten miles
is a big time commitment.

You squeeze it in where
you can and I find

that 5:30 in the morning
is sort of the time

that's always available
so it's not too bad.

>>Running in general feels
good. It's really addicting.

I can't not do it.

>>I think the weather
sometimes is kind of

the thing you get to brag about.

It's a little hard to
get out and you get wet

and you get cold but then you
feel good the rest of the day.

>>You have good form
max, yeah. You really do.

Slight lean forward, you're
picking your knees up

and you're hitting the
arch first. That's good.

(upbeat music)