Tag Archive | running groups

Epic Day

Apr19

Tonight I should be sore from running my Birthday Half Marathon AKA the Rutgers NJ Half.    Like millions of people across the world,  plans change.   Honestly with all that has been happening my birthday actually snuck up on me and I was ho hum about it.    I know that had the world not stopped, I would have been ready for this half.   I  am allowed to be disappointed, but with that can realize…

It just doesn’t matter.

To be honest this half marathon was not so much about finishing the race, but knowing I was going to spend it with friends.   I had encouraged a few people to sign up and before we knew it, there was a group of planning to go.   Some I haven’t even run with yet, but was looking forward to running with.   It would have been an epic day as a day spent with friends always is.

It was still an epic day.

I woke up.    I have my health.   My family has their health.   We have food in the fridge.   A roof over our heads and hubby continues to work from home.   Life is good.   We are blessed.   We are lucky.   We are grateful.

So while origionally I toyed with actually running a half marathon today, I thought better of it.   I took a day off from any and all exercise.   I showered.   More shocking is that I even blew dried my hair, put on makeup, and found that I can still squeeze into my jeans.   I was being fancy today.   It almost felt like formal attire.

I took an iced coffee and was waiting in my side garden for a friend who said she was coming to pick something up.   I was soaking up the sun.   I was enjoying the silence.   Then the horns started beeping.    The shouts of Happy Birthday from cars.   I looked up to see my own birthday caravan with balloons, posters, Happy Birthday banners, even a real live unicorn, and most of all wonderful friends.

No it was not the birthday I imagined or planned for.   Yes, I wish that the world was in a good place for it to return to normal.    But most of all, I realized how lucky I am.   After they drove away, I realized that if it weren’t for running this caravan would not have happened.    These women for the most part came into my life when I started lacing up my running shoes.   We’ve ran many miles in training together.  We’ve ran many miles just to be together.   We’ve chased 9 plus 1 together.   We’ve ran trails together.   Some of us even have run away from Klingon Opera singing together (I kid you not).   We’ve grown together.   We’ve been there to cheer each other on and pick each other up not just with running but in life too.

Running has brought me so much in life but by far the best thing it has given to me is the people in has brought into my life.

So while running is a “solitary” sport and everyone who runs must run their own race and pace, that does not mean that you have to do it alone.

While we all tuck ourselves away at home, it sometimes feels like you might be in it alone, that your own your own, but it’s not true.   Just like each of us runs our own race and meet at the finish line, we will shelter in place alone with our families but we will meet together at the finish line of this horror.

Apart but Together.

We must not loose that.   We must remember all that is good.   All that makes everything worth fighting (staying home) so hard for because we want to get back to less apart and more togetherness.

Then we will be

Together until we must part.

 

The Runner’s Superbowl

Nov2

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.

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