Remember the Journey

When it comes to running, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? The distance runs? The PRs? The medals?

To be honest, there are a lot of things that come to mind when thinking about running. Start to think about where you started and the people you have met along the way throughout your running journey.

Being a runner over the years has taught me multiple things that I still carry with me. Big or small, they each are something that I have learned from others along the way and have helped shape the person I am today. I now teach these things to others to follow through as a runner and even then, I continue to learn new knowledge. My journey like everyone else started from something. I cannot take all the credit when it comes to getting to where I am today or all the accomplishments that I was able to achieve over the years. It is thanks to the friends that I not only ran with during training days, but those that I have competed against and that inspired me to grow. From all of the struggles we put in together on our speed day at 6 a.m. at Memorial Park to all the laughs made from silly jokes during the long runs around the Bayou. I believe that the best parts of running come down to the friends you run with and the new friends you make along the way, whether it be new people you meet at a start line or in another city like Boston.

There are times that I even tend to forget my journey. However, I try to remind myself of the reason why I love running and why I have always stood by it. It’s not just about the competition or the success. None of those things are possible without the people you meet. The people who make you want to train harder or the ones that helped you through a tough workout to where you got the opportunity to get that new PR, thanks to them for pushing you. They become more than just friends, or the simple term known as teammates, but rather they become your running family that helps push you to surpass your limits. They are there to keep you accountable. They check in with you on how your workout went or even what time the meet up will be the next day as well as the workout that will be done.

Yes, I do agree that the finish line is an awesome feeling when you cross through it and achieve that goal that you have worked for throughout weeks to months of training. The journey however, was also one that was not easy but having those people along the way made the whole ride much more exciting and somehow bearing to where you can say you loved every moment of it.

Blog written by #houambassador Joe Balderas