RUN WITH OTHERS
When I was a kid, I loved playing tag. It was the best way to accomplish two things simultaneously: prove that I was the fastest and chase after my crush. Immediately after church on Sundays we would all go out to the field to tag each other until it was time to go to the local taquería for lunch.
In middle school and high school, running got me through basketball, baseball and soccer; it was always there for me and I could rely on it without much thought. College was the same; intramural basketball and ultimate frisbee were some of my favorite memories and the only way I was really exercising at the time.
Running can be a singular sport, but it’s so much better with others.
But then, the bubble of youth and academics is poked by the sharp reality of being an adult. You scramble to get a job because now you have bills and debt; your free time is unstructured because there is no one telling you to do anything in particular; you wonder if you’ll ever be what you were as you try to become what you want.
Whatever your situation is, I’m sure it came at you fast and caught you unprepared. Losing sight of ourselves and others can be easy when you’re in a frenzy of decision-making. This is where I found running again.
I was a high-school teacher in my 5th year, preparing to move on with my career as a designer when something completely strange happened. The world got sick. Spring Break 2020 was the last I saw my students in person as we quickly adapted to “teaching” through a screen.
I was living my best life alone in my Dallas apartment. I was working out daily, running, painting, drawing and occasionally fulfilling my teacher duties. It was during this time that running became a beautiful source of peace and struggle.
Over time running by myself only got me so far. I needed to be measured and pushed. Finding others who want that too can be hard because everyone has their own goals for running. But whether you’re the fastest in a group, the slowest or somewhere in between, you deserve to belong in a group that wants to run with you and you with them.
Running can be a singular sport, but it’s so much better with others.
When I run now, I know when to push or let up, when I’m feeling the wrong type of pain and the right type, when I should keep track of my time and when to look up at the sky and let my body move without me.
