Joyful Running

By Coach Rob

I know, I know, it is another long, hot, humid day and Coach Culpepper just blew the whistle to begin. Uggh, you might say. I am with you and feel your pain. But you know what? I never finished running and not felt better. I still get up every morning after 40 plus years of running and look forward to it. Why? Because for me it is much more than running…so much more. Matter of fact it is still fun and brings me a ton of joy when I lace up and head out.

When I think of all the people I have met and run with through the years, it puts a big ole smile on my face. Some of you have already experienced that “running community” and some are experiencing it for the first time. For you that have been in Cadence awhile, invite the new ones in and make them part of YOUR running community. That will put a smile on both of your faces. Run with someone and talk, laugh, get to know each other on your runs with Cadence Running Club or whomever you’re running with. Also, pick each other up. As we know, some workouts are harder than others. We all need help or need to give help from time to time. Take time to tell someone “good job” or “you can do this.” Maybe someone falls or you can tell another runner is not feeling well, maybe you ask, “are you alright, can I help?” Get to know the runners around you and I know you will find running much more of something you look forward to than a chore. Coach Culpepper and I have a weekly run with our friend Scott, who most of you all have met. We never have a run where we don’t laugh and have a really good time and some of them are tough runs (especially if Coach Culpepper calls the run of the day!) Give it a try and if you enjoy the love of running, pass it on to someone else or maybe invite a friend to Cadence.

In summary, running should be fun and getting to know the new people in our groups makes it fun. But don’t wait for someone to walk up to you…take the initiative and reach out to them! IF IT’S MEANT TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.