Community is simply defined as “a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).
Running is not just a exercise focused on cardio endurance, but a community. In rekindling my relationship with running this year, I’ve found that there are many facets of duality to our tête-à-tête. I don’t have to run but I get to run. Should I use rate of perceived effort (RPE) or heart rate to mark how hard I work? My training is a privilege but also a hardship. Some days I feel like I run alone, and other days, I am clearly surrounded by support. Running is a solitary sport, but it also isn’t.
I’ve noticed in my last month of training that this idea of the running community has been making itself evident to me like the little animation flip books I loved so much as a kid. Singularly, the pictures might not add up to much, but put them all together, and you’ve got a beautiful world at your fingertips.
Some examples are easy. I have friends who run. We even run together in the neighborhood. For the past few years, Danielle and I will run the Front Runners Pride four miler back to back with the Achilles International four miler in one weekend. We discuss running shoes and training. She even reminds me to take care of myself when I work too many shifts in a row and try to squeeze in a race here and there.
I have other friends who exercise, either lift, box, or ride who support these crazy endeavors too. What a beautiful network I’ve found in this community. I saw an old friend today while I ran who offered me a sweaty fist bump between by third and fourth mile. An old trainer saw me toward the end of my run, and he cracked up, exclaiming, “Do you age? You always look the same!” My friends and family who support the training by watching what I refer to as “the circles app” but I think it might actually be called Apple Fitness. (Side note: I have also started calling it “the Facebook,” so my old lady transition is going smoothly.)
But some examples have taken a while to show themselves to me. My “easy” three mile training runs in the neighborhood tend to follow similar routes and sometimes I run into (pun intended) familiar faces. One man, who must live somewhere on Yellowstone, seems to walk every morning. He has a slight curvature to his thoracic spine and a pleasant smile when we catch each others’ eyes. I’ve seen him a few times, and he will usually say something encouraging to me, i.e., “Keep going,” or “You’ve got this!” Now when we see each other, there is a mutual understanding that we’ve spoken before and it’s fun to share encouraging words.
Another woman in my neighborhood lives closer to me. She walks outside and smokes while observing the goings on in a way that would make Ms. Havisham from Great Expectations proud. She used to give me an uncomfortable look, squinting her eyes at me as though I was an unfriendly being, but now we’ve graduated to fist bumps as I run by.
Runners in Queens are a funny lot. Some won’t make eye contact with you while you pass them training. I don’t begrudge them. They could be doing speed work, be intently focused, or could just not want to interact, but there are a handful who will nod their head at you as you run by. The other day it was pouring rain outside as I did a six mile long run before heading into a shift. I passed by three runners who all smiled and cheered at the utter craziness of all of us being outside in the pounding rain! I cheered back, of course. These runners had a lust for life that was palpable. Mind you, I had just been laying in bed trying to talk myself out of that run because of the rain and the many work shifts, but I was motivated to continue my training. I would not have seen those three exuberant gentlemen had I not.
If you’ve ever run a race in Central Park on a weekend morning, you’ll know that runners will give you a head nod when they see you wearing similar race shirts or race numbers. People race with mini-speakers, playing music to inspire those around them, and others show up to cheer on the runners seemingly not racing themselves. Volunteers line the streets to hand out water and Gatorade and ring cow bells while they cheer. Runners who have finished the race will usually line the finishing edges to cheer on the remaining racers. My own neighbor, Stephen, will give us a shout out when he is being the emcee for a race! The running community is very real!
Even this past weekend, Gary and I went to visit friends in Chicago, and when I said I needed to get a training run in, my friend, Carolyn offered to run with me. She just ran her own race with another on the horizon, and we did a fun five mile easy run through the streets of Chicago while using that time to catch up.
Today, while doing an easy run in the neighborhood, I listened to Susie Chan, a peloton instructor, coach an outdoor audio workout entitled “45 min Taylor Swift Run.” I won’t apologize for it! Suzie just finished the BADWATER 135 miler in Death Valley. So amazing! The outpouring of support for Susie within the Peloton social networks and during classes was inspiring. While Susie leads the workout, I feel like she is talking directly to me! Another part of this amazing community.
I may lace my shoes up alone before heading out to run, but I am not running alone. It’s an interesting aspect of the sport. A sport usually thought to be solitary, really isn’t. This community has helped me fall in love with running again.
References
Chan, S. (2023, June 29). 45 min Taylor Swift Run [workout]. Peloton.
Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Community. In Dictionary.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/community
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