A new program, Colonel Couch to 5K, is up and running for students, faculty and staff to get in gear for the Komen Bayou Region Race for the cure.
The program is a free, six-week program designed to prepare the Nicholls community for the race for the cure on Oct. 27, 2012, Kathryn Harrell, wellness and fitness coordinator, said.
“We wanted to have something available for the students, faculty and staff that wanted to run the race, but did not know where to start,” Harrell said.
The idea behind the name is to provide a step-by-step plan for participants to move from a sedentary lifestyle to prepare for a 5K, Harrell said.
There is a preparation plan available to students, faculty and staff that can help guide the training. The plan is available on the Harold J. Callais Memorial Recreation Center website. The guide contains information about the progress that is being made to the amount of weight lost during the preparation. There are three steps to the plan: the program, the training and, finally, the race for the cure event.
“Eventually, when the recreation center opens, we will have someone available for students, faculty and staff to help with checking on progress and updating their plan,” Harrell said.
The preparation plan is structured for each type of person training:  a runner, a beginning runner and a walker, Harrell said. The plan also breaks down each week and gives the trainee an idea of what activities should be accomplished for that week. The trainee decides what days to fit in the workout.
For example, the first week on the walker plan says two to three days of walking for 20 minutes. The trainee can then decide what days to exercise on and where to track it on the plan.
Each type of trainee–walker, beginning runner and runner–all have different exercises planned for each week. The beginner runner has jogging on the plan, while the walker only has walking on the plan.
The plan also contains tips on keeping hydrated and the type of clothing that is best to train in. Along with tips there is information on keeping safe while exercising outdoors. It also has information for those participants that are hesitant to just jump right into exercising again.
Participants can meet with other participants and members of the recreation center on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. for training sessions, Harrell said. The preparation plan contains the location of the sessions. The sessions will last approximately 40 to 60 minutes.
“As of now, we do have a few students sending e-mails asking for the preparation plan, and some faculty and staff,” Harrell said.  “This plan can help participants really see how important exercise really is.”