The miles are just the excuse

There are a lot of reasons I started Soul Runners.

There are days when it’s hot. Days when I’m tired. Days when something hurts. Days when I question whether I’m cut out for this or how much longer I can keep doing it.

Most days, I want to do this forever.

Some days are harder.

Whenever I have a race that doesn’t go the way I hoped, or I find myself disappointed with a result, I always come back to the same question:

Why am I doing this?

And every single time, I come back to the same answer.

Years ago, there was a time in my life when I felt completely alone.

Running changed that.

It pulled me out of depression. It helped me come out of my shell. It taught me what I deserved and what I didn’t. It gave me confidence when I didn’t have much of it. It introduced me to people who would become important parts of my life.

Everything changed because I started running.

Soul Runners was never really about running.

Not entirely.

It was about helping people who felt the way I once felt.

People who needed confidence.

People who needed community.

People who needed something that belonged to them.

People who needed a reason to believe in themselves again.

This week, we’re about halfway through our spring program.

As I stood listening before and after our runs, I heard people talking about their week, their goals, their races, and their lives. I heard laughter. I heard friendships forming.

And what struck me most wasn’t how much fitter everyone has become over the past two months.

It was how much they love running now.

They look forward to it.

They talk about it.

They miss it when they can’t do it.

They’ve become runners.

I’ve always struggled with finding something I was truly good at.

I’m not even a great runner.

I’m okay.

I work really hard at being okay.

There are faster runners than me. Stronger runners than me. More talented runners than me.

But somewhere along the way, I realized there is one thing I’m really good at.

I’m really good at helping people fall in love with running.

And every time I see someone cross a finish line they never thought possible, every time someone tells me they’re sleeping better, feeling stronger, making friends, or finding confidence again, I’m reminded why I started this in the first place.

That’s what keeps bringing me back.

Not the races.

Not the medals.

Not the pace.

The people.

Because sometimes running changes your life.

And sometimes all it takes is someone helping you fall in love with it first.

If you’ve been thinking about starting, this is your reminder that you don’t have to be a runner to join us.

Most of the people in Soul Runners didn’t start that way either.

Summer registration is now open, and we’d love to help you fall in love with running too.

https://www.soulrunners.club