Wellington The Magazine-July 2016
Wellington Runners Club Helps Keep The Community In Shape
Story by Jason Stromberg • Photos by Abner Pedraza
When you are running, you’re exercising, you’re moving, your heart is pumping, your blood is flowing and you’re relieving all that stress. Running makes you feel good, makes you look good and keeps you healthy.
Those are some of the positive effects running can have on your mind and body, and that’s what it’s like being a part of the Wellington Runners Club.
“We all want to feel good, so that we look good,” Wellington Runners Club coach Jon Pagalilauan said. “To look good and feel good, you’ve got to run. And at one point, instead of running being painful, it actually becomes pleasurable. It gives me more pleasure. If I don’t do it, if I don’t run, I feel worse.”
The Wellington Runners Club was founded in 2004 and currently has about 140 active members, featuring runners “from top to bottom” — meaning from beginners to elite runners. There are two organized group club runs and official club meetings on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings.
Those are Pagalilauan’s favorite days of the week. “Running is what I do. It defines me. It makes me look good; it makes me feel good, health wise and mental wise,” said Pagalilauan, who is in his fifth year as the club’s coach. “If you say running is the key to a happy life, then that’s what you want.”
Running brings a smile to the face of Jennifer Leeds, who is in her fourth year as president of the Wellington Runners Club. She doesn’t just go for a club run to burn calories. She goes to laugh, talk and have a great time with her friends.
“That camaraderie, those friendships you make when running with a group, gives you a positive outlook on life,” Leeds said. “It improves your overall health and your ability to make new friends when going for a run… Some people think we’re crazy in a good way, because you’ll only hear a runner say, ‘I only ran 10 miles.’ And people will say, ‘Gosh, you only ran 10 miles? I can’t even do one,’ or ‘Oh, I won’t run until somebody is chasing me.’ We laugh about that.”
When Leeds has put in a full day of work, her mindset is geared toward burning off all that stress.
“Running is a great way to reduce stress. It improves your health and improves your aerobic capacity,” Leeds said. “I have a stressful job, so when I’m running with my friends, and all we are doing is talking about running and racing, that’s a great way to improve your health.”
Pagalilauan, a USA Track & Field certified coach, agreed with Leeds that running reduces stress.
“It’s a stress reliever. That’s a big part of it. All the demons in your head go away when you run,” he said. “You could be in a bad mood when you start running, but as happy as a clam when you finish because all the endorphins are kicking into your brain. Endorphins are good pain and stress relievers.”
Pagalilauan, also the physical education teacher at the Renaissance Charter School at Cypress in West Palm Beach, recommends that new runners start slowly, to help build up endurance and stamina.
“The biggest mistake new runners make is they try to run like Usain Bolt,” Pagalilauan said, referring to the record-holding Jamaican sprinter.
“It’s not a sprint. You start slow, do a short run and walk, or walk and then run. That’s perfect. Wake up early and watch a race. If you go and see a race happen, it really motivates you to do it yourself.”
On Wednesday nights throughout the year, the Wellington Runners Club does speed workouts in the local area. On Sunday mornings, club members meet in Wellington for a long run. When participating, the duration and length of a run depends on the person. Some run for six miles, others run up to 18 miles.
“Another great part of our club is the social aspect. Having a group, or a partner, to run with is good advice,” Pagalilauan said. “You get to talk to people, and you get to hang out with people. You form bonds and relationships.”
Most members of the Wellington Runners Club are your standard runners, not ultra-runners. “The ultra-runners are the ones who are running 50 miles or 100 miles,” Leeds said. “Our running community is very small. We all know each other, and a lot of our runners are triathlon athletes.”
That includes Pagalilauan. He loves the Iron Man races and the triathlons. Pagalilauan has finished four Iron Man races, his last being his best finish, when he placed third overall in the Great Floridian Triathlon in Clermont. An Iron Man is a 2.4-mile swim, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.
Such endurance events keep Pagalilauan healthy and at the top of his game, but it’s not for everyone. In the Wellington Runners Club, members like going at their own pace.
“With our long runs, we form small groups. Some people are really, really fast and have to go with a certain group,” Pagalilauan said. “Time goes by pretty quickly… You don’t realize how many miles you have finished because of the social aspect of it. The beauty of it is you can run whatever you want. We have training cycles where we have marathons and a 5K. Me particularly, I enjoy doing the triathlons. I like the long-distance running.”
Another important aspect to healthy running is keeping a good diet.
“If you don’t keep a good nutritional diet, you’re not going to run well,” Leeds said. “You’re not going to put bad fuel into your gas tank. Food is fuel for your body. If you put good fuel into your body, you’ll perform better. Eat good, common-sense foods, like lean protein like chicken and fish. Fruits and vegetables are instrumental to good running, too. And then there are healthy fats, like avocado, olive oil, seeds and nuts.”
If Leeds is going on a short run, she doesn’t put anything into her system. “I just have some water. It’s very individual and specific,” Leeds said. “If I’m going to go and run 13 miles, I’m going to have peanut butter toast, one piece of bread that is 100 percent whole wheat, with peanut butter mixed with honey. I’ll take one or two gels with me to eat while I’m running, while having water and an electrolyte drink like Gatorade.”
About an hour after her run, Leeds has a scrambled egg sandwich with avocado.
Pagalilauan brought up another aspect. “Running makes you healthy if you do it right, like wearing the proper shoes and having the proper hydration,” Pagalilauan said. “If you do the simple stuff correctly, you’ll have a good time with it. Going to a local running store would be a step in the right direction by getting the right comfort shoe. The only protection you have against the pavement is the proper sneaker.”
Visit www.wellingtonrunners.org for information on joining the Wellington Runners Club.
“Everyone is welcome, whether they are an elite runner or a beginner,” Leeds said. “It’s a great club. I love being a part of it. And honestly, it’s not any one person who makes it a good club. It’s everyone put together.”
