Running Buddies

Back in my heyday I followed my training programme to the letter and was driven by the desire to run fast times and be first across the line in weekend races. Then somewhere around eight years ago some kind of shift took place. I stopped achieving personal best times and started finishing further down the field. The motivation to put in the same effort on my training runs began to wane.

I took a breather from running and focused more on work but still enjoyed my Sunday morning long runs with training partners. After a short time of putting my feet up I went back to the club I have been a member of since I was a teenager. I'm not the only one who has experienced a shift. Although it still has a strong track and field element, my club has more runners like the new me than ever before. Many of them are 'born again runners' who have taken up running to get fit rather than to be competitive but are now well and truly hooked and targeting road, trail and fell races on a regular basis.

Now I run with other people as often as I can. I am no longer driven to achieve a certain number of miles or minutes of running each week but I enjoy the regular jaunts, that are full of chat and banter, with this group of friends who are making running easy. I also enjoy hearing about their experiences and results in weekend races and, dare I say it, they are even starting to tempt me to put a number on my front in the near future. Watch this space!