I'm a bit nostalgic today so I wanted to share something. Long story short, 19 years ago today I had an amazing friend bring in an alcoholic, drug addicted teenager. He cleaned her up...she wasn't always nice and rarely very healthy. She was lost, defensive, didn't trust, and was fearful of human contact. A few evenings a week, he took her running. She whined, complained, threw up, refused to go up a hill, argued, and he laughed, smiled, encouraged the whole time.
A few things happened during this time. It got her out for some much needed fresh air, it grew a tighter friendship, the resistance lessened and eventually it wasn't just him that was laughing. Some days it was the only part of the day that she smiled. She eventually started to enjoy those runs, the time together, and every once in a while she even ran up a hill as she started to feel better.
If you have see anyone around you that looks like they may need some fresh air, take
them out if you can. Let them hate you for it, eventually they'll love you for it...and you'll have changed a life...which I can only imagine must be a pretty amazing feeling.
Running is more than running. It's desire to inspire, the creation of comradery, the learning of how much fight one has within his or herself that they never knew was there, it's the love for a fellow human that can't love herself. So, next time you lace up your shoes...ask a friend if they'll go with you. They may "slow you down", but what you'll gain in your heart far outweighs a strava segment PR 🙂
Just food for thought.
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