Since I began training and distance running in late December of this past year, I have learned a LOT about the value and significance of community along this journey. It's not just about getting to know others through a common interest. It's about accountability, motivation, challenging/pushing each other, bearing the load with one another, forming relationships, helping in all kinds of big and small ways along each run and even along the process as a whole. It's not so very different, I've found, than having a community of believers: designed for edification, to build each other up, to keep one another on track, and so forth.
What's been really eye-opening to see, beyond my own little community of runner friends, is this entire "culture" of running. It truly is a whole culture of its own, complete with its own lingo, passion, and even equipment. I'm sure there are different pockets of running cultures all over the place, but where I live, the running community as a whole is VERY positive. I just love it. People are fit as a way of life and can be fanatical about their running, but it is so much more than just about themselves. As it is with running no matter where you are, the competition isn't with the other runners—unlike just about any other sport. We are all runners, no matter how fast or slow, advanced or beginner, training or for fun. You encourage one another along the roads, you greet one another crossing paths, and with every nod or smile, you exchange this unspoken recognition of having the same goal in a sense and the same "knowing what it takes" to get there. It is an amazing big picture to be a small part of—yet again like the body of Christian believers. We all have different strengths, but we're all playing for the same team. You're rooting for everyone else because you understand that the competition is not your placement within it, or even how fast you can get it done, but the mindset with which you step out the door every day: to be your best, to finish, to get better, to never give up, to persevere toward a worthy goal. It's an incredibly uplifting process in that, the way you choose to live is actually developing your character as you ever improve—with results that are physically tangible, internally unmistakable, and spiritually rejuvenating. It simply can't exist by way of shortcuts or "faking it."
The feeling of being a part of that culture is probably what I've taken away the most from my half marathon. For the first seven miles or so (before I was blind-sided with illness!), the encouragement and passion of the onlookers coupled with the inspiration and motivation from the other runners lit a spark to inside, so to speak. You feel like you are each one carrying that light within you with every stride, all moving toward the same finish line. You want everyone to do well because you know exactly what it took for them to get here in the first place. There are no separate teams. The courage to start and the challenge to keep going are all the competition you need.
It helps to know there are others with whom you can relate on your journey, and lately I have been really "Amen"-ing and incredibly inspired by different online communities of running blogs and Facebook pages. There are so many quotes I've found that have astounded me for their ability to speak the things I have felt over these past several months or that I haven't found the words to say myself.
For all the words of wisdom, encouragement, and sheer relatability that I have come across recently, I decided to create a second page for this blog just for quotes. I plan to continually update the page with new quotes (along with updating the actual blog page, which is what you're reading) and refer to it when I need a little push to get going. It is called "inspire." You will see it up near the top of this "home" page. Thanks for checking it out, and please let me know if you have any great running quotes that I should add!
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