Fuggedaboutit, becoming a Foot Soldier in the (Excercise) Family...

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend and morning swim--er, I mean run.  Who can tell which is which with all this humidity?  (Ah, pure Michigan!) Today's post came to me after a few encounters this past holiday and today--with members of "The Family"--the running family that is.

One thing I always assumed before becoming an athlete (which, I still can't believe I'm saying), is that runners, for instance, were part of an exclusive club, only interested in other people who ran, and who scoffed at those who eat junk food or claimed to "jog" occasionally.  However, what I've come to find out is that runners are an amazing group of people, even a family of sorts, if you will.

Prior to the Volksläufe race in Frankenmuth, MI on July 4, I hadn't given the running family much thought.  Oh, I was already in it, for sure, having connected with the awesome people of FSARC early on, but I still mostly run alone and didn't really consider myself a part of any particular group, despite occasional runs with FSARCers.  But while warming up (ok, I was really contemplating why I signed up for the 10k race in the heat and humidity of July 4 while trying to catch a breeze off the Cass River in Frankenmuth) an older gentleman stopped to talk to me.  He suggested I pin my bib on my front instead of my back, which I usually do, but given my patriotic gear, I figured it didn't really matter that day.  We got to chatting about how I was fairly new to the running scene, etc.  He had been a part of it for quite some time and suggested a number of good events to run in.  He also talked about the Volksläufe and why it was a great race to be a part of, which caused another passerby, carrying a large American flag for the 10k, to chime in about his participation over the years.  The conversation ended with the older man welcoming me to "this great family of runners."  

This made me stop and think.  He was right.  Runners are like a family--at least, from my experience they certainly appear to be.  Running buddies keep you motivated when you're injured or maybe just willing to give up--when the weather isn't that great--or when you feel like you're just not getting any better.  Most runners like  to eat, so they're not judgmental either.  It seems they're all aiming for a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet, but also run so they can splurge now and again too--hey, fuggedaboutit and move on!  Just before the 10k started in Frankenmuth last Thursday, I talked to another woman who told me about how she hadn't been running for about a year, but was just getting back into it.  After being pushed to run a half marathon, she felt like running had lost its "fun appeal," and she quit for a while.  We talked about how the most important part was the fun rather than the fast at this stage of our lives (Sadly, I probably won't make it into the Olympics anytime soon).  We parted with a "have fun" instead of a "good luck" or "run fast!"

Just today I ran into my mentor teacher from my student teaching days--Craig --at the Runners store in Saginaw.  We got to talking about how, thanks to Facebook, he had followed my progress with running and everything and asked how I liked it.  Admittedly, I'm a total running dork now--absurdly into it and even helping to plan a 5k Run/Walk this fall for Hemlock's Sawdust Days Festival (www.hemlocksawdustday.com).  While talking to Craig, I noted that I was surprised how many people were a part of the running family for all these years without me even realizing it.  There was lots of support out there from great people, but I didn't know where to look until I literally stumbled into it on my own! 
 
So, what am I saying?  Anyone can do this, and it's definitely easier when you don't have to do it alone.  Even if you're just starting out--look on Facebook for a local running club to join.  Ask around at your local gym, and stop and talk to those people you see running out there with you every day.  It's a family.  Take the plunge and become a "foot soldier"--pun intended.  Maybe the Family is not quite to the level of the Mafia, but once you're in it, you'll probably always be a part of it--which is not a bad thing.