What’s it worth to you?

This was my first weekend running with my new team/club, the Folsom Road Runners! There were maybe 15 of us who met at Rodeo Park in Folsom, bright and early Saturday morning. I picked up a new friend, Rebecca, along the way. We met while both of us were running down Almond Ave. and exchanged phone numbers. Turns out she lives right up the street from me and I coaxed her into running with my team this past weekend. Whitney (who also posts on this blog) met us out there for her first run with the team. It was really interesting and a bit intimidating. I felt a little out of place knowing that everyone was probably going to be a bit faster, run farther, etc. But it worked out well. Our coach had mile markers on the bike trail for us and so we headed off in our perspective groups. Rebecca and I made up the five mile group, Whitney ran 9 and there were a few who ran 11. Of course, Rebecca and I chatted the whole time so we actually went just over six instead of five (we missed the turn-around point). Anyway, the exciting part of this story isn’t that I actually got my tush out of bed to run that early in the morning, but the connection I felt out there with the other runners.

Our coach, Kristen, tooled along on her cruiser between the groups. She doled advice, funny stories, suggestions, and answered questions. Everyone I saw said hello (even the cyclists) and all of my teammates were very nice. There is kind of a thrill that happens when you run with a group of people. The time and the miles pass rather quickly. You connect with those who have similar goals and you can find encouragement through just about everyone you meet.

FYI: Folsom Road Runners just changed their pricing schedule. Anyone who joins now will receive an entire year’s worth of training and bi-weekly runs with a USATF certified coach for just $150. It may seem like a lot, but it works out to just $12/month. You can’t buy coaching serves for that! So, what are new friends, exercise, a sense of fulfillment, pride and joy worth to you? Not to mention a great excuse to find a babysitter and work out a little pent up tension (does anyone else have a stressful job?)?