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GREENSBORO - Running.

It should be easy, right? Just put one foot in front of the other.

It's not that easy.

Just ask Bebe Purcell about the first time she ever attempted to run a mile. Purcell, 45, was physically active, but never ran for exercise. Last August, she decided to try to run the annual Women's Only 5K. Moses Cone Health System and the Greensboro Running Club offered a running school to help women train for it. Purcell signed up, with hopes that it was already full.

That first day of training was hard. It was hot and humid, which made breathing difficult. Purcell was soon winded, and her heart rate increased quickly.

Now Purcell runs at least three miles, three times a week. She logs up to seven miles on her longer runs. And that's not all - over the next few months Purcell will help other women train for this year's Women's Only event, to be held Oct. 4.

The tricky thing about running is that it's as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. Purcell almost didn't enroll in last year's Women's Only running school because she envisioned that it would be filled with women in their 20s - all of them more athletic than her. What she found was a network of other women more like herself.

They were women 40 and older, reluctant to call themselves runners. Women struggling to hit their stride, but determined to meet their goals.

The program's coordinator, Liz Halsch, wanted them to know it was OK to progress slowly, but steadily. She told them to listen to their bodies. Rest if they were sore. Stop if they needed to. And it was OK to walk.

Halsch knew what they needed, because she had been there herself. She didn't become a serious runner until her mid-30s. She played some field hockey in high school, but would never call herself athletic. She started running mostly for fitness and enjoyment, and joined the Greensboro Running Club.

"The power of the group is amazing," she says.

And that's what she observed last year, working with the Women's Only runners.

"Women are wired for connectivity. They want relationships. They hold each other's hands ... and hold each other accountable," says Halsch.

The women motivated each other to keep working toward their goals. And after the race, they still wanted to run. They also wanted to keep running with other women.

Halsch, a personal trainer, had considered starting her own business, teaching women how to run. When she continued to receive e-mails from women asking if there would be another running school, she decided to create Janes on the Run. She helps women prepare for 5K and 10K races and half marathons. Her intense G.I. Jane running boot camp gets women motivated to run.

Elizabeth Atkinson completed three running schools with Janes on the Run. Like Purcell, she plans to help other women train for October's Women Only race. The 52-year-old also is training for her first half marathon in November.

Atkinson wasn't new to running, but calls herself a former "wogger" - that's a stride somewhere between walking and jogging. She never wore a heart rate monitor, always ran solo, and never ran faster than a 12-minute mile.

She feared running in races. But after last year's Women's Only race, friends encouraged her to sign up for one of Halsch's camps. Atkinson now plans to run in this year's Women's Only race. She enjoys the camaraderie that comes with running with other women.

"Being with the Janes, we all have on our running shoes and shorts. No one has any make-up on. You can't stereotype anybody. Later on, you might find out that they may be a doctor, or a judge or a realtor. (The focus) is all about health," she says.

In time, running becomes a lifestyle for these women. Atkinson says she'd rather run with friends than go to a party. Sharon Maney, who's been running since January, says it's a good way to clear her head during the work day. Since her training with Janes on the Run, she runs three to four days a week. She often runs during her lunch break, and wants to complete a half marathon next year.

"I just want to stay healthy, strong and fit," she says.

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com