I’ve never really been a sports person.   I never really got the excitement of watching people run around bases or down a field with a ball.   I just don’t get it.    Never having played sports in high school (probably because I couldn’t), I really never got into any of it.   But today I might actually get why people so get excited about watching sports they are not participating in.

My sport of choice – Running.

Today was every runners Superbowl.

I sat here watching people that I don’t know cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Watching, cheering, and inspired.  Not only was I watching on tv, I was even tracking several racers that I know too.   I was nervous.   I was excited.  It wasn’t  the elite runners that got me feeling this way either.  Although I am in awe of them.  I was on the edge of my seat waiting for members of my local Mom’s Run This Town (MRTT) group to finish.   We had several moms running and a few husbands too.   I don’t even know some of these people except in cyber world although I may have seen them in passing at a few events.   Some of the Mom’s though I do know.   Some I’ve run with, some I’ve baked cakes for, and some I’ve done races with.    It didn’t matter if I knew them personally or not, we were a team today.

As I said before, I really have never been part of a team.   I decided that I like it.   Our local chapter of MRTT Facebook group was blowing up with excitement of us tracking them.  I wasn’t alone in my excitement either. We were cheering for them from home even if they didn’t know it.  We were concerned about how the weather would effect them.  We were proud of them every step of the way.  We wanted so badly for them to have a good race and cross the finish line.   They all did.

I will let you in on a secret though.   I would bet and bet a lot if one of these women had not crossed the finish line, that they would have been met with nothing but sincere condolences, virtual hugs, and words of encouragement.   That’s what a team does for their teammates.   Not until today, did I realize that I really  had become part of a team.  I am a MRTT Mama runner.   Yes, running is an individual sport, but that does not mean that you are in this alone.

So my words of advice to you….

Find a local running group that you connect with.   All running groups are not created equally, but with the right one you will be amazed at how far you can go.   I firmly 100% believe that if I had not joined this group, I would not have come as far as I have in my running.   I’ve made wonderful friends.   Not just running friends, but real friends.   I’ve been inspired by their passion, dedication, and bravery.   Yes, there is bravery in running.    You have to be brave to not only start running and sign up for a race, but also be brave to know when it is time to give your body a rest and pull from an event or even stop running until your body is ready.   I, actually, think you have to be more brave to do the later.   Either way, it is nice to have support of people who get the craziness of running.

You tell a friend, your feet hurt, you’ve got bad blisters or severe muscle pain from running, they will look at you like your crazy and tell you to stop running.   But you tell your fellow running friends the same thing and they will give you words of encouragement and understanding that only another runner can give you.   It’s a beautiful thing.

Yes, you can run, train, and go to events without the benefit of a running group; but why would you want to!    Your running group may be an informal group too (some people you share your passion with or an online group you follow).   But there really is nothing better than a group of like minded people sharing their passion that will help get you to the next level.

Do you belong to a Running Group and does it help motivate you?