Why Belong to a Run Club

Frequently, the topic of belonging to run club or what it means to belong a run club seems to come up.  I'd like to offer you some insight as to some of the reasons people belong to run clubs and why you too should belong to a club. 

There are the obvious reasons:

-Learn to be a Runner

-Learn to be a Better Runner

-General Support or Support to Accomplish a Goal

-Fellowship/Friendship/Support

-Motivation

-Accountability

-Coaching

-Education

-Inspiration

-Encouragement

(and probably more that I'm forgetting)

But then there is another reason that people seem to forget....Compliments.  

The only thing that may even come close to achieving your goal is the positive reinforcement or feedback you receive from others in your group.  Some seek this through posting about their weight loss, a personal best in a recent race, running their longest distance ever or maybe just a simple picture as a way to show off the results of their commitment and hard work.   

That's not to suggest that you have to run as fast as Usain Bolt or be as thin as the high paid Hollywood fashion models in order to share.  Each of us are on our own journey.  Each of us have different experiences that have brought us to this moment and, each of us should be able to share our successes with fellow club members without fear of ridicule or judgement from our fellow members.

There are many things that a club can offer you but there are also many things that you can offer to fellow club members.  Sometimes we think less about that latter and  more about the former...I think it's time we change that.  Your belonging to a run club is not only for you, it also thrusts you into a roll of being the support for other members in your group.  And EVERY runner regardless of their current ability seeks that support and positive reinforcement...that's why they are in the same club you are in!  

So the next time the person fatter than you, skinnier than you, slower than you or faster than you tells you about their success or shares a picture with you that is an obvious attempt to show you the results of their hard work....stop for a minute, take it in, put yourself in their shoes and say something nice.  Pay them a compliment, offer them words of encouragement or just say wow!  Nice job!   We all want to feel good about ourselves and you have a responsibility as a fellow member of your running club to make sure you do your part to help your fellow runners feel good about themselves.

If you're interested in learning more about the RunJunkEes Run Club you can find us here.

We also have a Facebook group that is home to thousands of incredible people from around the world.  If you're looking for something more local check out our local chapters