RUNNING WITH THE PACK

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 Running with the Pack



Back in my hometown, my former running buddy celebrated her 50th birthday with a 50 km trail run. Three years before, her sister, in the same way and for the same reason, participated in Mexico City’s full marathon with her running group, which included me. These admirable women introduced me to trail running. They have been an inspiration ever since for training for longer distances.


Before I joined my running group, I wanted to run a half marathon for the longest time. I was used to running alone around my block. However, besides it becoming more dangerous due to the rise in crime in the area, the whole workout had become too monotonous. Then my mum and I got a treadmill to walk/run indoors since I didn’t want to interrupt my training. However, this form of “hamster” running became unbearable, especially if I wanted to run for more than 1 hour and 30 minutes.


It wasn’t until 2017 that the urge to run longer distances moved me to look for a way to fulfill my dream. I had read about people running in groups. One day, as I stumbled upon an article with the phrase “Don’t run alone,” I told my mum that it would be great to meet more sporty people so I could run in a group.


At that time, my mum was teaching English to two sisters. My mum’s reply was: “I think my students’ mother trains and runs marathons. Do you want me to ask her?” I agreed, even though I thought it would feel awkward at the beginning. At the end of the class, my mum introduced me to her and she told me about her training and her races. After I had heard all about these achievements, I felt small and inadequate. However, she was nothing but encouraging, and the week after, I was already preparing for my first half marathon training.


The group consisted of mostly mothers whose children went to the same school. I felt out of place since I was neither married nor with children. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, despite the fact that most of them were middle-aged women, they were strong and had run many half and full marathons.


Soon after I joined, I ran distances that I never thought I was capable of accomplishing, in little time. This is one of the most extraordinary choices I have made in my life. One I will never regret! Running with my new friend, her sister, in their group, helped me experience another sort of community. I developed a different attitude towards hardships, becoming more positive and willing to try new things, something that was impossible for me to attain in my earlier years of adulthood.






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