Once Again, It’s Time To Tune For Bloomsday Free Seven-Week Training Clinic Begins Saturday Morning At Sfcc

Thu., March 6, 1997

Virginia De Leon Staff writer

Slowly but surely, Melvin Smith of Spokane will survive Bloomsday.

With help from the annual training clinic, the 49-year-old heart patient hopes to finish the entire 7.4-mile course.

“This is a good way to prove that I’m on my way back to good health,” said Smith, who suffered a heart attack in 1994. “I’ve never done the race before and I’m ready to go.”

Like Smith, 800 others are expected to be part of this year’s 20th annual Bloomsday Training Clinic, a free seven-week program that starts Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College.

Sponsored by Holy Family Hospital and Group Health Northwest, the Saturday sessions are designed to help walkers and runners build endurance for the May 4 event.

Without proper training, it’s easy to injure yourself, said Anne McKeon, a spokeswoman for Holy Family Hospital. That’s why the clinics provide training information, water stations and even medical assistance to those who need help.

“It’s a great way to start off a Saturday morning,” McKeon said. “It’s fun, safe training and you have companions.”

Each session starts with a 15-minute lecture on nutrition, injury prevention and other race-related topics followed by a warm-up stretch. At 9 a.m., trainees will jog or walk a mile the first Saturday, then increase that distance by a mile each week. The training course also will cover parts of the actual Bloomsday route.

For nonrunners, the notion of tackling Bloomsday is overwhelming at first, said Valeta Biggs, who has participated in the clinic for the past three years. But each week becomes easier as people get in shape, she said.

Working out with others also motivates the participants, said Sharon Burris, a previous clinic trainee who has run in four Bloomsday races. “Some of us aren’t disciplined enough to train on our own,” she said. “I’m not a serious runner, but the clinic is a good way to keep yourself going. It’s a really friendly, supportive atmosphere.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Training clinic The 20th annual free Bloomsday Training Clinic starts Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive. Speakers will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by warm-ups and stretching at 8:45 a.m. To register, pick up a form at any Group Health Northwest health-care center or at Holy Family Hospital. Or show up early at the first clinic. Registration takes place between 7:45 and 8:15. For more information, call 482-2356.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Training clinic The 20th annual free Bloomsday Training Clinic starts Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive. Speakers will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by warm-ups and stretching at 8:45 a.m. To register, pick up a form at any Group Health Northwest health-care center or at Holy Family Hospital. Or show up early at the first clinic. Registration takes place between 7:45 and 8:15. For more information, call 482-2356.