"Everyone here has made a decision to change their lives," said Bob Shooer. "You will achieve it."

There were about 40 people gathered in the Fleet Feet Sports franchise at 1751 N. Highland Road, Upper St. Clair, which Mr. Shooer owns. About three-fourths were people who want to get more physically active. One fourth were store employees and volunteers who want to help them do it.

The occasion this Saturday morning was the kickoff of a 12-week program to prepare novices to run a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race. The program, in its fourth year, was developed jointly by Fleet Feet Sports and the athletic shoe company New Balance.

Though runners of all ability levels are invited to participate, the program is geared to beginners, Mr. Shooer said.

Store manager Claire Gleason had prepared packets for everyone who had signed up.

"There is no word in here about mileage," she noted. "This is all about time."

In the packet was a detailed training program. There will be group runs on Saturday mornings. (The store also sponsors "fun runs" on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, but these are not directly tied to preparing for the 5K.) The training schedule calls for participants to work out on their own on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, and to rest on Mondays.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, participants are encouraged to cross train -- to do a form of exercise other than running or walking.

Swimming, cycling, yoga, dance and various forms of resistance training all are good, Ms. Gleason said.

"You don't need to have a lot of equipment to do the cross training," she said. "You just need to be active."

Cross training is important, Mr. Shooer said, because it helps develop muscles that aren't developed through a specific sport such as running.

"You're going to improve your posture and overall fitness, and that will aid in running itself," he said.

In order to facilitate cross training, the Fleet Feet Sports franchise is offering two exercise classes based on dance in the studio above the store.

The rest day is also very important, Mr. Shooer said.

"As you build muscle, you're actually damaging muscle -- causing the little tears that permit muscles to grow," he said. "The rest day is important to give the body the opportunity to heal."

The rest day is also important psychologically and emotionally, Mr. Shooer said.

"A lot of people start out excited, run every day, and then burn out," he said.

The running program starts small. On the first Saturday, participants will be asked just to walk for three minutes, then run for one minute. They are to repeat the procedure five times, and then walk for five minutes to cool down.

"Some of these participants will just barely make it," said Mr. Shooer, 60, who has run 28 marathons himself. "There will be many people in this group who will not be able to run for one full minute [at the beginning]."

The program builds gradually so that on the 11th Saturday participants will walk for 10 minutes, run for 45 minutes, then walk for another 10 minutes.

The 12th week is the Gatorade/Steelers 5K race, beginning at 9 a.m. on Sept. 4.

Pauline Rueffle, 46, of Baldwin, has walked the Pittsburgh marathon, but has never done any running. She signed up because "I want to run next time."

Michele Dowell, 40, of Bethel Park, signed up because "I've had a goal for the last year to get healthier." Her son, Jake, 9, signed up too, but said he was just "so-so" about it.

Mentors will be on hand for the group runs to encourage participants. They are unpaid volunteers.

One of the mentors is Chrissie Gleason, 27, the older sister of store manager Claire. She's been running for a year and a half.

"I got started because my sister started working here," said Chrissie, who is a culinary school student. "I like going out for long runs. It's a moving meditation."

She decided to become a mentor, Ms. Gleason said, because "I just really like running. I want everybody to be healthy."

"Besides," she said, "it keeps me running. Everybody needs a little motivation to get out of bed Saturday mornings."

The fee for the program is $75, which includes a New Balance technical T-shirt and hat. Participants will receive a 10 percent discount on shoes or other merchandise in the store for the duration of the 12-week program.

To sign up for the program, contact Fleet Feet Sports at 412-851-9100.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.