Get Moving with AustinFit

A Mile Walked is a Mile Conquered

by Coach Greg Perliski

A walk through Austin is no walk in the park.

This city, on the rim of the Texas Hill Country just to the west, has its share of hills. A early morning walk headed north on Guadalupe St. from Lady Bird Lake bears this out.

It’s here on a recent Saturday that Austinfit’s Coach Michelle Cooper has her fitness walkers on the move in a valley of office towers and condominiums reflecting the dawning sunlight spreading above the dome of the Texas State Capitol.

“Come on, let’s help each other,” she urges her team forward as they walk a brisk pace. “We are all leaders here.”

Michelle is one of a group of fitness coaches out each week helping AustinFit participants maintain their cardio-health in the age of COVID. Outdoor workouts at safe distances from others seem one of the last refuges of normalcy for those fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Like other AustinFit coaches, COVID safety and precaution is top of mind for Michelle, who wears a mask during her workouts. Other precautions include preworkout temperature checks, social distancing, and ample use of hand sanitizers.

Beyond the necessary precautions, the goal of the AustinFit program remains as it has for the past decade — to give members the opportunity to be fit and healthy. It doesn’t happen overnight and requires lifestyle changes that ideally come with time. This is why the typical training season for Austinfit plays out over 26 weeks. It allows for an incremental transformation that protects against physical injury and mental burnout.

AustinFit and its seasonal approach to training provides the environment for a gradual, yet substantive, run or walk program that address the needs of beginners as well as the more experienced member.

For those Michelle leads, there’s walking and the specific pace and movement that go with it. However, AustinFit also has the coaching staff to accommodate all levels, including the seasoned marathoner who might clock a pace under a 9-minute-mile. Overall, participants are divided into four or five groups according to goals and expectations.

The different groups allow for AustinFit members to gauge progress and scale back effort to recover from injury if needed. Michelle understands from personal experience that the groups’ flexibility enables long-term commitment to an exercise program.

After training with AustinFit three years ago, she ran a half marathon in New Zealand. Like with many who participate in timed events, the thrill of the finish gave way to a longer-than-expected layoff in the following months. A rush to regain her form in the spring of 2018 resulted in a knee injury.

Frustrated but not daunted, Michelle returned to AustinFit in 2019 as a member of the walking group that she now leads.

“I joined Austin Fit's walk group to try to regain my stamina and endurance to run again and did just that,” Michelle said. “I was able to participate in the 3M Half Marathon and ended up running at least half of the race. Needless to say, I was proud of myself, but also recognized that if I had only listened to the doctor and my running buddies and came back as a walker sooner, I would have been able to run sooner.”

It’s with that mind set — walking is training — that she guides her team through a program that lengthens its workouts each week. By week 10 of the current season, her team is walking 7 miles. For some, distance alone is the challenge; however, like Michelle, some walkers discover that they can incorporate some running into their workouts.

“I try to maintain a good pace for everyone, and if I notice someone is being left behind, I try to slow down for them,” she says. “However, if there is someone in the group who is obviously leaving us all in the dust, I usually inform them that it is okay to move between the groups if the walkers are completing the routes slower than they would like.”

The first step involves some form of interval training. This is where a group adds a preset number of minutes for running. The group then dials back the intensity for a minute or two by walking. It becomes a run-walk interval.

As fitness continues to increase, AustinFit members can choose to run with groups that use longer run intervals and walk for shorter time. Eventually, they might choose an AustinFit group that runs for the entire workout.

Finally, as fitness levels increase, AustinFit members might choose to train for a specific timed event — the Austin American-Statesman Capitol 10K might be good choice for a beginner. Some choose more advanced targets such as a half-marathon or even a full marathon in Austin or San Antonio.

Whatever the goal, completing a timed event or working out simply for the health benefits, AustinFit coaches like Michelle are there each week for the team, encouraging correct form, proper eating and sufficient hydration needed to support 26 weeks of training.