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On a bright October afternoon, first-year students filed into South College’s classroom W101 and settled into chairs arranged in a tight semicircle facing a projector screen. Jenny Adams, professor of medieval literature and English department chair, welcomed the 19 students as they pulled from their backpacks a book far from the works of Chaucer usually found in her courses: “Let Your Mind Run: Thinking My Way to Victory,” a memoir by Deena Kastor, American Olympic marathon medalist, and health and fitness journalist Michelle Hamilton.

The choice of reading material was no accident. It was a selection by Adams, an avid runner, as part of the First-Year Seminar (FYS), which encourages faculty to share their interests with incoming students. For Adams, that meant pairing her favorite running memoir with a semester-long journey toward a 5K.

Adams’ FYS, Couch to 5K: UMass Edition, description notes “students will be given the opportunity to exercise body and mind, as together they work to master 5K basics, while also getting to know their UMass classmates and the campus.” The fall semester culminates with the class participating as a team in Northampton’s Hot Chocolate Run this Sunday, Dec. 7.

Designing the class as an FYS—a one-credit, one-hour weekly course designed to help new students transition into college life—gave Adams the opportunity to combine her passions for teaching, reading, writing and running.

“I’d been thinking about this course for about five years, but I was finishing my own book and handling life,” Adams said. “Once I got the OK, I started designing the course; creating a running program for the students and figuring out how they’d build up. Then I thought, they should read something, too, so I started reading running biographies and came to Deena Kastor’s ‘Let Your Mind Run.’ It was amazing.”

Kastor won America’s first marathon medal in 20 years at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. In her book she describes moving from a win-at-all-costs mindset to a more positive and resilient one.

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“Reading her book gave me perspective. It’s part memoir, part reflection on positive thinking. It’s perfect for first-year students,” Adams said. “So I added it to my syllabus.”

During the fall semester, students read and discussed chapters, watched videos and tracked their independent training (aka homework assignments) on a running app. They also joined Adams for three team group runs during their weekly class meetings. From South College, they explored the top floor of the W.E.B Du Bois Library to the Fine Arts Center and the UMass outdoor track, where they worked on their speed to measure up to their Hot Chocolate Run team name: UFast.

Adams arranged for the class to meet Kastor via Zoom in their South College classroom. Kastor happily answered students’ questions about her training regimen, her most memorable races and accomplishments and challenges and the three-year writing and editing process, something she called “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” even for an English major at the University of Arkansas.

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After the conversation, the students reflected on advice and learned lessons from Kastor: Even if you don’t win, find your own victory; Allow yourself to sit with unpleasant feelings; Remember the positives; and “Share what you know, so it can grow.”

“I loved how she talked about helping others through their rough patches because she’s been there herself,” said Maysing Cheng, a biology major from Acton, Massachusetts. “That really resonated, especially as we’re all going through our own challenges freshman year.”

Claire Wickander, an English and legal studies major from Northborough, Massachusetts, said Kastor’s book and the talk inspired her. “She seems like someone who fully commits to everything she does, and that’s something I want to work on—really dedicating myself.”

Both Cheng and Wickander said the Couch to 5K experience has helped them achieve the confidence to put their best foot forward as first years.

“I was a little shy about joining clubs during my first year—so having this class made it easier to commit to something,” Wickander said. “It keeps me on a schedule, which helps me feel more in control of my day, and I’ve enjoyed the connections in this class. People are genuine here.”