Running is a Team Sport
I recently ran 9 miles on a treadmill, it's been unusually hot in March, with highs reaching 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. I feel pretty indifferent when it comes to the treadmill, don't love it nor do I hate it. There's a life analogy somewhere in there about running like a hamster on a wheel. I'm grateful I have access to a treadmill, comes in handy in times like this. About 2 miles in though, my left hip started acting up, it's an old injury and I have kept somewhat at bay. I decided to give it one more mile, if it feels worse, I'll stop.
Then, through the gym mirror in front of me, I see a girl running in the treadmill behind me. When you've trained for enough marathons, you can generally tell when someone's a long distance runner, a big cue is that they're not dying, as easy runs make up most of our runs. We were both running at similar effort, and maybe it was seeing her or maybe it was that my body warmed up that I made it through the next few miles. Running through miles never feels linear, some go fast and some seem dreadingly slow.
Every once in a while, I'd gaze in the mirror, and she was still running behind me. Seeing her, this complete stranger, motivated me to keep going and complete all my planned volume. There were moments in the run when I wanted to stop, not because of any pain, or because I was tired, but because of tiny voices in our heads that tell us to stop. The little doubts that pop up when it's you and the hamster wheel. This happens a lot, during training, during races, we start to dig deep and overcome those voices.
After I finished, I went up to her to say great job. When she was done, we did our stretches together. She told me that she came in planning to do only a few miles but when she saw me, she was motivated to do more. Turns out we motivated each other, two complete strangers at a gym, on Wednesday afternoon.
When I first got into running, I saw it more as an individual activity, a time where I can spend by myself with my own thoughts. I still do that. More and more though, I seek out the community, whether it's a consistent run club or a random stranger in a gym. Yes, we all have our discipline, our strength, but that person or group of people next to you, they'll be the one to get you out of your head and across that final finish line.