GETTING FIT ON FOOT: New running club helps break through limits

May 21—A new running club, built on the premise that talk is cheap and actions are expensive, launched at Northeastern State University Fitness Center, bolstering hopes for a life of better health and fitness.

Jon Bloodworth, director of the NSU Fitness Center, gathered participants on the front lawn of the gym Tuesday, May 21, and lined out what the runners can expect on the weekly runs.

"We are going to do this every Tuesday throughout the entire summer, all the way through the end of August," Bloodworth said. "And 6:15 [p.m.] is when we meet, 6:30 is when we put our feet on the pavement."

The first day in the new club, the runners went three kilometers — less than two miles — and each week, the distance increases by one mile.

"If you just want to do the .8 mile, cool. I will be here until the last person is done, no matter what pace you run at today," Bloodworth said.

He left the runners with one message, which is the motto that Bloodworth and his wife, Brittany, use in their Kaizen program: Talk is cheap, but actions are expensive.

"You've got to actually show up and do the work," Jon said.

Bloodworth said the running club is free, and participants can come and go as they like. The run lasts for an hour.

Kaizen stands for continuous improvement, Jon said. It is a growth mindset, meaning every single day, individuals pour a little bit of something in their "good bucket."

"Some days, it might be joining us for a run, and the next it might be reading a book," Jon said. "Or the next day it might be a rest day. Whatever you have to do to create '1% better' every single day of your life."

NSU Programs Coordinator Nick Shaw-Bolen and his 3-year-old son, Lou, waited for the run to begin.

"I'm hoping to get back to running," Shaw-Bolen said. "Lou loves to run as long as it's entertaining. He's ready to go fast."

Iman Ali and Qimeng Li are in a boxing club through The Fit. They decided to join the group but planned to walk on their first effort.

"The coaches decided to drag us here," Ali said. "We do boxing, cardio and self-defense."

Li said it's only when forced to do so that they "knock their boxing partners down," she said, as the two laughed together.

Trey Ruiz stretched, preparing for the start of the run.

"I'm running for fitness and health and these guys inspire me," he said, pointing to Jon Lee and his twin brother, Matt Lee.

Jon Lee works as a personal trainer at The Fit, and Matt works for NSU.

A newcomer to Tahlequah, Cassandra Robledo, media coordinator for Communications and Marketing at NSU, joined the run to make friends.

"I'm new to town so maybe I'll meet some people and run a little," Robledo said.

Brittany runs marathons and is planning to participate in the "Dark and Dirty," a 31-mile run July 13 starting at 7 p.m. and going until 7 a.m. at Robber's Cave in Wilburton. She talked about the plateau she reaches on a run, at that place where she realizes she's reached her limit but pushes through it, anyway.

"My first 50-mile run, I felt I hit it a few different times, and when I hit it, I would think, 'I don't think I have any more in me,'" Brittany said. "Then I would push through. And there are so many emotions. You may cry, you may be angry, but when you know your limits and you push through it, you go, 'wow, that wasn't my limit.'"

She said it is a challenge to find how much more there is to give. The emotions break down the limits and she don't think she has any more, but then she reaches down deep, and it's emotional, Brittany said.

"You break that barrier and that hat comes off, and you get hungry for it," Brittany said. "After the 'Dark and Dirty,' I want to do the 100 [kilometer] Pumpkin Hollow run, and I think I'm going to try 100 miles at Vian."