Program turns couch potatoes into runners

If you have ever considered running as a means of losing weight or increasing your level of fitness but simply didn’t think you were capable of handling the rigors of pounding the pavement, Carrie Hinton may just have the solution for you.

Hinton, who lives in The Villages at Rancho El Dorado, follows a program called “Couch to 5K” which she says can get anyone up and running. Wanting to lose the last few pounds she had gained after having her first child, she started running.

A friend asked if Hinton could guide her into a program, and word of mouth has built the group to some 30-strong. And it’s all free.

“It’s an eight-week program. It’s for people who just want to start running,” Hinton says. “It will take them from a complete base of nothing at all; people who say ‘I can’t run, I hate to run, I feel like I’m going to die when I run,’ to being able to run in a 5K race.

“It starts them off very slowly, running for 30 seconds and then walking for a minute and gradually builds up to where, at the end, they’re able to run a 5K.”

Hinton, who uses the motto IRUNCUZICAN, began with a handful of people who simply wanted to get in better shape.

***ADVERTISEMENT***“I belong to the Mom’s Club locally and Stroller Strides,” she says, and quickly gathered her group that runs twice a week.

Hinton went from beginner to running a 10K and has since participated in the P.F. Chang’s half-marathon and the Iron Girl 10-mile race.

The group usually meets on Saturday mornings and one evening a week, most often at The Villages, and tries to run often at Pacana Park. For those who can’t always run at the specified meeting times, Hinton sends a schedule to each runner, reminding them they need to do the workout on their own. A goal at the end of the program is to try to run one of the local 5K races.

She is also very mindful of the heat, keeping the mileage to a minimum and staying hydrated. She feels more people will become interested when the temperatures begin to drop.

For more information, call Hinton at 480-747-1734 or [email protected].