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Clinics key to preparation, good health by Cindy Abole Public Relations   When advertising specialist Janice Fetter retired after 38 years of hard work, she had only  three things on her agenda: community work, oil painting and getting into shape. She wasn’t about to let the last goal get away from her.        Runner Janice Fetter, far right, participates in some stretching exercises with CRBR clinic participants at the Harper Wellness Center.  Seven months later, Fetter is fit and feels better than ever. She’s also on course for meeting her goals. For one thing, she’s running and loves it. This spring, Fetter will join more than 30,000 runners as they challenge their mental and athletic abilities as participants in  the 23rd Annual Cooper River Bridge Run.       “You never know what you’re physically capable of doing until you try things out for  yourself,” said Fetter, at age 51, will run the 6.2 mile footrace for the first time. “I feel that if I have a good experience, I want other people to share the positiveness of that experience. It can be contagious.”        On Tuesday mornings, Fetter can be found jogging around downtown Charleston among  packs of other men and women who are in training with the Cooper River Bridge Run Running Clinics, which meets weekly at the MUSC Wellness Center.       When asked what inspired her to try running, she credits her natural athletic ability and the inspiration of her daughter, Cindy L. Carter, a runner and post-doctorate fellow working at the Hollings Cancer Center. “I’ve always wanted to run, but kept putting it off year after year,” she said.     An active member of the Wellness Center, Fetter learned about the running clinics and registered— anxious to benefit from learning about running, gaining new training tips and discovering the easy camaraderie between fellow runners.        The 12-week clinics, taught locally on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Wellness Center and at a site in  Mount Pleasant, provides classroom training and running time with certified coaches. Fetter’s class is taught by assistant bridge run director Benita Schlau. A separate running clinic has been established at the Life Center Health and Conditioning Club at Greenville Hospital.    “The effort is all cumulative,” Fetter said. “Every day you run, you gain cardiovascular strength.”       To prepare for the run, Schlau exercises a routine of achievable walk/run sessions to build conditioning, endurance, and confidence with her beginners. The group builds from 10-15-35 minute intervals until they reach their goals. Midway through the clinic, runners practice on a track to time distance and mark improvements, according to Schlau.       In addition to the running, participants learn the values of strength conditioning by doing sit-ups to strengthen abdominal muscles and the back. Schlau also teaches the benefits of free weights and shares stretching tips.        For Fetter and other runners, the clinic’s homework is never difficult. They’re only asked to run from three to four days per week, with a focus on increasing their endurance. “It’s important that runners never forget the clinic’s goals: to have fun, set goals and gain accomplishments,” said Schlau.