Like many novice runners, Lindsey Nicely struggled to stick with fitness programs, and a foot injury kept her from training on a consistent basis. But, following a New Year’s resolution to run in the 2011 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, she decided to also join the YMCA 10k Training Team to help prepare for her first race.

“I thought the YMCA Training Team would give me some accountability to someone other than myself,” said Nicely. “I had read very positive experiences from past Training Team participants, and I had no idea how to train for a 10k race, so I thought I would give it a try.” In addition to giving her the guidance and confidence to complete the 10k, the Training Team also helped Nicely discover how much fun running can be.

Nicely is the first to admit that she was not an experienced runner heading into the Training Team program. “I had no running background whatsoever,” she said. “My husband used to do lots of 5k and 10k races, and I never had the endurance to keep up with him, even on ‘fun’ runs. I never thought running could be fun. For me, it was always frustrating…that’s why I was so amazed when I actually started enjoying running during the training process.”

Nicely gives plenty of credit to John Hurley, her coach at the Shady Grove YMCA, for bringing the enthusiasm and excitement to group workouts. “His positive attitude was absolutely infectious, and his crazy singing and screaming during Saturday runs really kept me motivated and excited to keep going,” Nicely said. “His commitment to the Team, regardless of our abilities or experience, was inspiring and really made it a fun experience.”

Those Saturday runs were critical to Nicely’s progression and helped her stick to the training schedule laid out by the coaches. “I never would have made it through if I hadn’t followed the schedule,” Nicely said. “And it made sure that I stuck with the routine during the week, too. Otherwise, I knew I wouldn’t be ready for the Saturday distance runs.”

In addition to the running schedule, the Training Team also provided other benefits for Nicely and her fellow members. “The ‘what to expect on race day’ informational session was also very good,” she said. “I got many tips from that session that helped me on race day.” Some of those tips included what time to arrive, where to park, how fast to start out and even how to practice for the water stops.

When she crossed the finish line, Nicely was excited and felt a great sense of pride at what she had achieved. “I am still not a very fast runner, but if you had told me two months before that I would be able to run the entire 6.2 miles without having to walk at all, I would have said you were crazy! I am so proud of my accomplishment,” Nicely said. “It’s a wonderful and positive experience, and if I can do it then anybody can do it. I truly owe it all to the Training Team.”

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** NOTE: The YMCA 10k Training Team kicked off last Saturday, but registration will remain open through Friday. Hope to see you out there!