Why join a running club?

This morning I got an email from a runner asking me if she should join our Charlotte Running Club now or wait until her conditioning improved.

I don't know her personally so I was a little unsure how to respond. She seemed genuinely interested in running and in our club so I certainly didn't want her to get a bad impression of our club by giving her a flipped answer. After all, I only have one change to make a first impression.

Thus, my response went a little something like what I will describe next.

 

I ask her if she is a self motivated person. Running requires a lot of self motivation. Going out the door tired and sleepy is a fact of life for runners. Our running plans nearly always fall on the peripheral of family activities, work obligations, etc.

Joining a running club would allow her to find peers of similar abilities. A running club would surround her with people that will push her to train harder. A club would give her individuals to lean on when everything else says don't run. They would help get her out the door.

The best reason for joining a running club is the "Support System". She would be surrounded by people that understand the struggles of life and will empathize and support her.

I have been running for over 30 years now and every day since Oct of '86. A long the way I could not have done it without the huge number of people that tugged on me to come out for a run. More than once I pushed out the door when I would have otherwise probably stayed in bed. I just need that someone to give me that mental "gentle" push.

There are plenty of other reasons for joining a running club and probably just as many against it. Maybe the real question is to determine what we really want.

It is a question that each of us should ask ourselves.

What is it that we really want? The answer will make the path forward clear.

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner