Finding Your Tribe: Inside The Running Community

𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘴. 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺…

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

As fun and rewarding as running is, it’s also hard. Whether you’re brand-new to the sport or a seasoned marathoner, you know, intuitively, that it’s a sport made better with friends. That’s because the shared pain we experience on the roads, trails, or track, brings us together. According to a recent study, experiencing pain in a group acts as “a sort of ‘social glue’ that fosters cohesion and solidarity.”

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆.

Let’s face it, at some point or another we’ve all succumbed to the little voice in our head that tells us to skip a run. Setting up a run date with friends or participating in a group training program or running club, helps to quell that voice. It’s one thing to let ourselves down but quite another to let a friend or a group down. Plus, joining a running club also creates training consistency though regularly scheduled runs and workouts.

𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Sure, you can get to the finish line of a half marathon on your own, but your chances of running your best probably stem from the intrinsic motivation you experience in a group. That’s because research shows that group activities help us to perform better and stay focused on a task for an extended period.

𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿.

Again, science for the win. Another recent study confirms what we already know: people who exercise together experience a 26-percent reduction in stress and are happier in all areas of their life. What’s perhaps more astounding is that, according to the same study, people who work out alone put in more effort than group exercisers and receive less benefit. In fact, the study showed little to no change in their stress levels or quality of life.

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗔 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗣

If you belong to a gym, ask the membership coordinator or a trainer if they know of any runner’s groups within the gym.

Better yet, simply Google “running clubs near me” and a number of local options will pop up. Call around and see which group best fits you.

With a running group, you’ll make new friends and help keep each other motivated. Eventually, you’ll be ready to try your first 5k race and there’s nothing more satisfying than crossing that finish line for the first time and experiencing that real sense of accomplishment and pride that YOU DID IT!

𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗥𝗨𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥!