They say nurturing friendships are integral to our overall health.
I say seek out friendships in places where you exercise together and the healthy upshot will be positively synergistic.
For all the times you think you don’t have time or energy to exercise, or that you will do it later and then not do it all, your workout mates stand like beacons of happy exercise commitment. Bailing on yourself is, sadly, always an option. Bailing on a friend is not.
I met my running mates during a half-marathon training clinic I offered in 2008. We trained together for four months, became fast friends, and then ran together for another four years, goal-setting together as we trained for various half marathons.
We trained hard for these events. You can’t fake 21 kilometres. But, really, it was less about the half marathon and more about the road trip, shopping, the pre-run yoga, and the nice dinner out (complete with wine and dessert). It was mostly about the laughing that came with all of this.
Sunday morning training was our own kind of worship, a date we worked hard to maintain for ourselves and for each other. With running gear adjusted, water bottles filled, we were out the door and the conversation flowed interrupted only by the Bowen hills we love to hate.
The mileage slipped by as we sorted through the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last week.
We see the positive in each other, something we can’t always find in ourselves. We keep the good stuff and try to drop the ugly behind us like mud off our sneakers. Blissfully exhausted, we wind up our run with a stretch and tee-up for the following Sunday, knowing that if we didn’t get our mid-week solo runs in, the next Sunday would feel less like a social event and more like work. And then it’s not fun.
Due to life’s complications, our running dates have dwindled over the last few years, but our friendship has not. I am grateful for this and dream of one day completing another half-marathon where the main event is less about running and more about friendship.
