Group Runs

A group of runners on a training run is an interesting phenomenon. It is like a moving cocktail party without the cocktails. If there are sufficient numbers the conversation can be a lot of fun. I will say a couple words about something I read in the paper, or something strange that happened that week, then someone else has a relevant comment. Maybe another person disagrees. The chatter goes on and on. Eventually there are jokes, lies, slander, and insults. I’ve heard that most running groups have the exact same form of banter.

We might start out talking about master’s track and field. By the mile mark the conversation might segue naturally to Indian cooking classes (actually happened), then to the Tour de France by the two mile mark (same run), and by the four mile mark we are somehow talking about fast pitch softball and Wiffle Ball. (Same run!) We don’t generally change the topic mid-conversation; it’s just that one comment leads to another and you end up in the strangest, but most interesting places.

Everyone surely knows by now the many physical benefits or running and exercise. What isn’t widely known are the many mental health benefits of running. Several years ago I read that running with a group has a greater impact on psychological health than any form of group therapy. Regrettably, I could not find a justification for that claim on the web, but I did find a web site for women that listed the following benefits of running for women: positive state of mind, reduced tension and anxiety, decreased depression, increased quality of life, positive personality traits, stress resistance, fewer minor medical complaints, improved mental functioning, and greater awareness of health. Another web site listed stress relief, anxiety relief, runner’s high, confidence, reaching goals, mood booster, improved memory, decreased fatigue, fighting addiction, and positive relationships.

A run with my training colleagues never fails to lift my spirits. The camaraderie of the group gives me a satisfying sense of belonging. No matter what I say, more often than not there will be someone else who says, “Me too, been there, done that, felt that” and can commiserate and empathize with me. Yes, I may be a geeky nerd who runs, but there is a group of people who have accepted me into their fold, and that is comforting in ways that defy description.