There are some things that are better together

I'm a solo runner by habit and by default. On the one hand, I'm an early morning runner. If I don't get my run in before 8 o'clock on most days of the week it usually means its not gonna happen. And on the other hand, I don't know any other guys who run in this town. If they do, our paths have never crossed in the fifteen years I have been running regularly. It's not that I'm opposed to running with a woman for fear that she might be faster than me (she probably would be) but do it enough around here and that's how rumors start. So it's easier all the way round to run by myself.

Moms and daughters can do this together

But this past weekend I was reminded that running together can be a lot of fun. I coach high school cross country and for the last three summers I have planned a handful of summer running events as an attempt to keep my kids active during the “off-season”. These team work-outs are totally voluntary and no one is scolded if they can't make it. These kids are on vacation after all and they should not be punished for being so. But for those who can, for those who aren't working or vacationing or sleeping in, every few Saturdays we get together for some kind of run.

Friends can do this together too

This past Saturday was the first event of this summer – Something fishy this way comes, a four-mile run on the course of the Fishy Four, our town's premiere running event. As we waited for everyone who had planned on joining in to show up, I informally polled the kids as to how their summer training was going. Not surprisingly I learned that for some of them this day was DAY 1. Before school lets out in early June, I usually meet with the troops and give them the same pep talk that every Cross Country coach at every school gives: “Ask yourself where you want to be by the end of the season and train accordingly. Stay active. Run some, bike some, swim some. Use your leg muscles more than your thumb muscles, blah, blah, blah.” Most of the kids hear that and have good intentions to run through the summer but after finals are done figure they need a break. Of course, they do. But suddenly June is in the rear view mirror and now the thought of running to the end of their driveway to get the mail seems like a workout, let alone run two miles.

There are some roads that should not be done alone

My running story is fairly typical. I began running in high school as a way to get in shape for wrestling and found a sport that I really enjoyed. But after high school, I got away from it. Every once in a while I'd go for a run in college but never consistently. Fast forward 20 years later and I was one of those people who “used to run in high school.” Until a kid in our youth group who ran CC for Chetek handed me a little article he had cut out of Running Times about “baby-stepping” your way back into a running routine. I shared it with a number of people in my circle and in the summer of 1999, for two weeks straight, 6-7 of us met daily at the school track to run this 20 minute circuit together. After only two days, I wanted to hang it up but then I thought of those who would be waiting around at the track for me to show up and made myself get going. At the end of that two week period, our 7 had been reduced to three – the kid who had originally handed me the article, his mom and me. Given that he was an experienced runner (next to me) and had more miles to log than I did and preferred late afternoons to early mornings and given that mom felt like she would cramp my style (I had a style?), my life as a solo runner began. But I got my start – actually my re-boot as a runner - by running together.

On certain days its way better to go with another

Now back to this past Saturday. Given that most of the crew had not been very active over the last couple of weeks, I suggested we run the Fishy Four course by running at talking pace from mile marker to mile marker. At each mile we would catch our breath, see how everyone was doing and then go again. That sounded like a plan and off we went.

We were two groups – the kids (bolstered by a football player from a neighboring town who is friends with one of our guys) – and the adults (two running moms, the fourth grade daughter of one of them and myself.) As we began, I could hear the front-runners laughing and talking as they headed down the road and it just did my heart good to see them out there again. Our sport, if its anything, is ultimately about having fun together as we push our bodies into motion. As for we back-packers, we started talking about races we've done, routines we use and generally getting better acquainted. Lisa, one of the moms, is a late afternoon runner who after a twelve-hour shift at the plant she works at somehow has enough energy to get out and run. Dawn, the other mom, works the night shift as a PA at one of the area hospitals and yet is a serious triathlete. And Ellie is a precocious fourth grader who delights in flowers and feathers found on the road. The front-runners soon left us far behind but I'm fairly certain both groups were enjoying themselves running together – I know we were in our group, even if we were moving at a slower pace.

"Summon eagle powers" (Nacho)

Hannah is the girl in the middle

Recently, my 18-year-old niece Hannah, accomplished a truly remarkable feat: she ran from Superior, Wisconsin to Milwaukee. She logged twenty miles a day ten days straight for the cause of raising awareness of the ugly reality of human trafficking in Wisconsin. At the same time, she invited others to run an additional twenty miles a day that would allow her team to make the 400 mile journey in a week and a half. According to her dad and coach, the original idea was for her to run ten miles, tag the next runner who in turn would tag others after them and thereby advancing the baton ever closer to the goal. Meanwhile she would rest up in the van prepping for her next ten later in the day. But what happened is that most people wanted to run with her and not just for the cause she was standing for. Ultimately, Hannah got her 200 miles in and the rest of us who ran with her recorded enough mileage to make that trip twice even though her epic run ceased to be a point-to-point journey by the end of Day 1. It felt better to do this sort of thing together.

About this time of year I start mulling over what our team mantra will be this coming fall. I'm thinking of an African proverb I heard this past spring:

“If you want to run fast, run alone.

If you want to run far, run together.”

I like it. I like it a lot. Soon I'll be heading out for my morning run and as usual I'll be going solo but I look forward to our next team run when the laughs will start almost as soon as our feet start to hit the pavement.

Our next team event is the "Cats-n-Dogs" Relay Marathon, a 26.2 relay race from Weyerhauser to Chetek. It will be held on Saturday, July 11. For more information, check out Cats-n-Dogs Marathon We'd love to have you join us!