Synergy

Today my facebook newsfeed was filled with pictures of friends who had conquered various races: mud runs, triathalons, several different half marathon races. And it made me jealous. Jealous? Me who hated running or any physical activity that didn't have the specific purpose of winning a game? Yes, me. Jealous.

I often ask myself why it bothers me so much that my body doesn't allow me to run much anymore. There are still a host of activities I can do without joint pain: walking, biking, swimming, yoga, pilates, cleaning (yuck!). Why is it that I want to hold onto the running shoes so tightly? My facebook feed gave me the answer: synergy.

Synergy: two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable. (from the ultimate source in reliability: wikipedia)

The pictures and stories of other runners spur me on to want to set and meet another goal. On my own I probably would not stay so motivated to hit the pavement or lift a weight. It's the positive peer pressure of others excited about physical activity...especially from those of us who were never so blessed as to have a host of athletic skills or natural physical ability. There's a camaraderie with  runners that seems to accept all levels of skill (I'm usually at the back of the pack) and encourages continued personal achievement, even if that achievement is just making it around the block for the first time.

Even though most of my workouts these days are not running workouts (and those that are look more like a penguin shuffle), I am going to claim my "runner" status as long as I can. And allow that jealous feeling of "I wish I had just paid someone to let me swim, bike and run all while trying not to die so I could feel awesome and eat a guilt free meal at the Grand Traverse Pie company" motivate me to continue to be as active as my body will let me.