The Club

Although I began running to lose weight, it quickly became more.  I crave running.  If a week goes by that I'm not able to get in at least 15 miles, I get restless and cranky, and no one really wants to be around me.  Running relieves my stress, but it's become more than just a stress release, it's become a way for me to help others.

When I first started out, my brother-in-law spent a lot of time running with me and helping me to become a better runner.   He is an unbelievable athlete (who, by the way, will be running his first full Ironman in July,) but he never seemed to care that I was slow and couldn't run the same distances as him.  He was just happy that I was getting out and trying hard.  He pushed me just hard enough for me to improve, but never so hard that I didn't hunger for the next run.  His never ending motivation and patience with me has been extremely inspirational.

Back in January, as I was training for my first half marathon, I was running with a couple of other gals in the neighborhood.  It was at this time that I realized that I really enjoyed helping these girls improve through the knowledge I have picked up along the way.  It is such an amazing feeling to watch someone progress partly because of your support.  So I decided to start a running club - Middle Distance Runners!  Middle Distance because while we are not the fastest, we are definitely not the slowest and we give it everything we have!

Since January the group has grown to 11 runners, and we continue to grow.  Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 PM we meet and run for 3 to 5 miles.  For new runners to the group we run a shorter distance until they are ready to run longer distances.  It is so inspiring to watch these gals improve with each run, and to see them enjoying it so much!  The best part is that it has become such a great social outlet.  We get together and talk about everything and nothing.  We laugh and joke and generally forget about the days stresses for the hour to hour and a half that we run together.  And as new people join we make new friends. (By the way, I would love for the group to have more men...we are not just a running group for gals!)

Ultimately, running fulfills many things in my life...it relieves my stress, provides me with an awesome social outlet, keeps me fit and healthy, last, but certainly not least, it allows me to help other people progress in the same way that my brother-in-law helped me.