Really supportive. Really engaging. Really big. And really weird.
I think, in part, I feel that way because it is a community in which I don't always feel like I belong. You know the story, I was not a runner. To some degree I still don't think I'm a runner.
But I run half marathons. And 10ks, and 5ks, and maybe some day, a marathon.
I've run two half marathons.
I'm signed up for two more.
So why, why do I do it?
Because the feeling of accomplishment that you get from running a race - whether that the race is 3.1 miles or 26.2 miles - is unlike anything I had felt before my first 5k. Because it literally is mind over body. Because the community of runners when they are right there beside you is stronger than a lot of other - bigger things - that I have been part of.
And also because I have been eating a lot of carbs recently.
I think more often than not people expect that you either love or hate running. And that if you run races, especially long ones, that you must love running.
I don't though...I think. I mean to say, I don't think I love it.
Running is not something that I always enjoy. In fact, during my runs I still struggle, every single time. I still have to push myself to my milage goals. I still work for it, always.
I know though, that I don't hate it. Sometimes, I think once you start running to race, you can't hate it. There are just too many parts to being "a runner" that are so so good. Beyond of course having a place to blow off all that competitive steam.
First of all, runner's highs are real. And amazing. Really, there's no downside to crushing a 6 mile run and feeling on top of the world. Well, maybe the occasional blisters, but still.
Second of all, running is something that I can consistently accomplish. Running is something you can just go do. Assuming you know your limits/injuries/pacing abilities etc., you can always just go for a run. Consistently, I can finish a run. I can set the milage goal, get out there, and crush it. I can tell myself I'm going to just go for 30 minutes, get out there, and crush it.
That's always possible. Barring you know, general motivational issues.
And the best part is, there is this community of people in Vermont, on Instagram, and on the bike path that support that. Always. They support that drive, that need, that insane idea that running is something to be enjoyed.
That is still so weird to me, but I love it.
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