The Power of Friends

Training notes: I woke up yesterday thinking that I needed a day off because I was feeling pretty tired, so I took one. Today, I feel even more sore - yep, those darn lunges are tearing me up! I'm only doing 10 on each side...WTH? I'm running today regardless.

For many years, I ran alone. Long, lonely miles around Minto Brown park, with only the birds and the trees to keep me company. "Let's go," I'd say to myself, or "never mind. Let's just eat a cookie." I had no one to hold me accountable, and no one to encourage me when the training was rough.

I didn't accomplish much in those early years. A couple of 8ks, a difficult half marathon, which I ran mostly because I wanted to lose my baby weight. I was starting to train alone again when I ran in to a mom from my daughters' preschool on the trail.

"Hey!" she said, "Do you want to run on my relay team?"

The rest is history.

A week later, I met her and her running buddies at the park for a long run. Although I'm shy by nature, it didn't take me long to feel like part of the group.

That was three years ago.

It was not until I started running with the group that I began to take my running seriously. This was a group of people who structured their lives around the sport. They showed me that there are people who simply love to run, and I discovered that I did too. Running was so much more than a weight loss tool - it was a way to set goals and achieve them, to discover joy in pushing beyond limits, a way to connect.

I now count my running buddies among my closest friends. They have helped me through difficult long runs, cheered me on the dark days, and paced me to new PRs. They get me and my love of running, which I discovered with their help. Without them, I could not run as well as I do. I've missed our training runs in recent months, as we've run our separate races and recovered from injuries.

On my last run, I listed to a podcast that explored motivational theory. One idea is that our intrinsic motivation (the most powerful of all) is bolstered by a sense of belonging - that we will keep running longer if we have a circle of friends who share the same passion. When we feel alienated or alone, we are far more likely to abandon our athletic endeavors. Being a part of a group - whether locally or virtually (like on DailyMile) - is vitally important to our long term success as runners.

This Sunday, a few of us are meeting up for a 10 miler. I know that the miles will go easy as we catch up on our lives over the past months. I know that I will come away reinvigorated for running, and I will probably have a few new adventures in mind. Running with friends is good for us.

Do you have a great group of running buddies? If you don't, brainstorm some ideas about how you might make some new running connections. It may be the most important commitment you can make to your running.