Tag: pathfinders

Pathfinders Fall Session: 2025

Provided by the Pagoda Pacers for new and beginning runners

Purpose of the Pathfinders program:

This past June, the Pathfinders program turned one! The program continues to grow and evolve. An essential part of the Pagoda Pacers’ mission is to “promote physical fitness and wellness,” and that is what the Pathfinders program strives to do.

Goals of the Pathfinders program:

This free program provides a community that helps eliminate the economic barrier to improving health and wellness. Participants have the opportunity to learn more about fitness and wellness while engaging with others in an environment that fosters their identity, feelings of capability, and motivation. Benefits of the program include:

·       Weekly group runs.

·       The opportunity to join our private Strava and/or Facebook groups for inspiration, additional information, accountability, additional support, celebrating progress and daily wins, sharing questions, and more.

·       The opportunity/option to join us at the Shiver by the River 5K on December 14. Program participants can pay to participate in the race, or join us and cheer fellow runners on.

·       Fun activities integrated into the eight week session, such as adding an inspirational song to our group’s playlist, bringing a healthy snack to share at a group meetup, and painting a kindness rock to “hide” at a run.

·       Informational emails that will help benefit and foster participants’ fitness and wellness, including topics such as static stretching/dynamic warm-ups, recovery, types of workouts, etc.

·       Meeting our participants’ training needs at their current individual ability level and building on it, working towards the goals they set for themselves.

What some previous participants have to say about their experience in this program:

“Something I loved about the Pathfinders is that the program is meant to meet you where you are. As someone who uses run/walk intervals, I have struggled to join group runs and fun runs because I always feel like I am holding someone back because they choose to detour from their preferred pace to match mine. This is NOT the vibe of the Pathfinders program. If someone is a runner, including someone who is SLOW like myself, but wants to feel welcomed and included, the Pathfinders is a great group to run with.” (Rachel)

“I feel like the program was useful and personalized to each person. It also helped get me outside and running by holding me accountable. Running at my own pace instead of trying to keep up with a big group when just starting out made it less stressful.” (Jaden)

Information on our Fall Season:

When – Sundays, from October 19 – December 7 from 10:00 – 11:00 am, with option to participate at the Shiver by the River race on December 14

Where – Jim Dietrich Park, at 4899 Stoudts Ferry Bridge Rd, Reading, PA 19605.

Cost – free for participants, but there is a registration fee for those who choose to run the race.

What to expect – the first half hour of our sessions will begin with a “walk and talk”, where we will talk about how training is going, goals, etc., and catch up with each other in general (socialize). This is followed by an optional slow jog or run/walk intervals, depending on what the group is up for on that day. I am hoping to have drinks and snacks available afterwards.

*There is a “no drop” policy – no one gets left behind, because we all stick together. If the group is large enough, we may be able to break into two groups for the second half hour.

There is a limit of 15 participants per season. A wait list will be created if needed. Our next season will be in the spring.

Program facilitator and qualifications:

Hi! My name is Andi, and I am a member of the Pagoda Pacers. This October will be my ten year “runnerversary”, and I also start my senior year at the University of Arizona’s global campus. My major is Applied Behavioral Science, with emphases on health & wellness, as well as public health. I have my USATF Level One Coaching certification (earned back in February this year), and am also studying for my Health Coach certification. My son started running for school in junior high, and is now a collegiate runner (cross-country and track). He is also starting his senior year in college this fall.

For more information, questions or concerns:

Please see https://www.pagodapacers.com/Group-Runs/Pagoda-Pathfinders.aspx for more information, or email Andi at pagodapathfinders@gmail.com. 

A new eight week program

provided by the Pagoda Pacers

for new and beginning runners

(ages 18 and up)

Who will facilitate this program and what are their qualifications?

My name is Andi, and I am a member of the Pagoda Pacers. I have been a runner for almost nine years now, and I am currently a student at the University of Arizona Global Campus, majoring in Applied Behavioral Science with an emphasis on health and wellness. My son started running in junior high and is now a collegiate cross country and track runner. My dad used to run cross country and road races as well. In fact, I got my all-time PR (personal record) in a 5K race following one of my dad’s pieces of coaching advice about not wearing my GPS watch while racing!

The Purpose of the Pagoda Pathfinders and why I created it:

The idea for this program started with my research on identity, self-efficacy, and how they are linked, as well as how to cultivate them. Community is one of the things that was mentioned in some of the research. Based on some posts I saw on various social media outlets during the pandemic, I realized that identity is something that new runners struggle with, including questions such as, “At what point am I a runner?” This all is interlinked and can affect a person’s ability to successfully make positive behavioral changes that promote health and wellness.

This research, along with the Pagoda Pacers mission statement, which includes the statement that the group “promotes physical fitness and public wellness,” are some of the reasons that I reached out to the Pacers about a program for new and beginning runners. By creating the Pagoda Pathfinders and providing this program, I am hoping to contribute to this part of the mission while using what I have learned through college, as well as personal experience and reading.

The goals of this program include:

• Providing a community that eliminates the economic barrier (this eight week program is free), where participants can enjoy engaging with others in an environment that will foster their identity, feelings of capability, motivation, etc., through:
  • Weekly group runs, held on Sundays from June 9^th through July 28, from 9:00 am – 10/10:30 am, with the chance to meet other members of the Pagoda Pacers who will be helping out.
  • Weekly group runs, held on Sundays from June 9^th through July 28, from 9:00 am – 10/10:30 am, with the chance to meet other members of the Pagoda Pacers who will be helping out.
  • The opportunity/option to join our Strava group for inspiration, additional information, accountability, additional support, celebrating progress and daily wins, sharing questions, and more.
  • The opportunity/option to join us at the Grings Mill 5K/10K on August 4^th. Participants can pay to participate in the race, or join us and cheer fellow runners on. Participation awards (for the eight week program) will be handed out at this event (see photo below).
  • Fun weekly challenges, including adding an inspirational or upbeat song to our group’s playlist, bringing a healthy snack to share at our group run, “kindness” workout (more on that later), etc.
• Providing information in weekly emails that will help benefit and foster new runners in their growth as runners. Much of this information can also be generalized to other areas of physical fitness and wellness. Topics include:
  • Weeks prior to first meet up – goal setting, motivation, etc.
  • Week 1 – warming up, cooling down, dynamic and static stretching
  • Week 2 – sticking with your fitness journey (maintaining motivation, positive psychology and its link to your success, etc.)
  • Week 3 – nutrition and hydration
  • Week 4 – recovery
  • Week 5 – safety
  • Week 6 – Types of workouts
  • Week 7 – Investing in your journey (tools of the trade)
  • Week 8 – Race prep
• Meet our participant’s training needs at their current individual ability level and build on it, working towards the goal(s) they set for themselves. I will guide participants’ training based on these parameters, using their feedback from questions I email to them in a week or two leading up to our first group run.

So, if you are a new/beginning runner, or just looking to increase your physical fitness and wellness, please come join us! You can sign up by emailing me at pagodapathfinders@gmail.com. Participation will be capped at 15 members. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you all!

Where: We will be meeting at the covered red bridge (Wertz’s Covered Bridge) by the Berks County Heritage Center to access the Gring’s Mill trail. You can use this address in GPS: 1102 Red Bridge Rd, Reading, PA 19605.

When: Sundays from June 9th through July 28th, starting at 9 am. (We’ll wrap up by 10 or 10:30.)

Cost: This program is FREE for participants, but there is a “pay option” for those who want to use the program to train for and race in the Gring’s Mill 5K/10K on August 4^th.