Support Groups
Over the years I have joined numerous support groups. Some I’ve been very active with, others not so much. As a teenager, I joined weight watchers and was finally able to get down to a healthy weight. I was good about going to meetings and the positive reinforcement for losing was tremendously motivational.
About 20 years ago, I joined a support group called the connectors. The motto of the group was “No more excuses”. It was primarily online, but occasionally we’d get together to run or walk. The first time a group of us got together for a picnic we had so much fun trying to figure out who was who. This was pre-Facebook days, so we only had words to go on, no pictures. Each time someone joined us we would try to guess who it was. If memory serves me, we were wrong one hundred percent of the time.
This group was tremendously supportive. When we could do races together we did and we would motivate each other to train. One year I decided to do a triathlon. To train, I discovered a technique called bricks. Bricks are done by going to someplace that has a loop that is a good mile to two miles. Mall parking lots are ideal. Two participants are needed and one bike. These two people start out together, one running and the other riding the bike. Obviously, the biker will complete the loop much faster than the runner. Once the biker catches up to the runner, they switch ( the biker becomes the runner and vice versa ). This looping continues until one person has had enough. I had no shortage of volunteers to help me train from this support group.
I had another friend in the group whose husband left her just before their baby was born. She asked me to be there to support her. Twenty years later I am still friends with many of them.
Around the same time as the connectors, I was decided to run a marathon. I joined Team in Training. They were an amazing support group. Each week we would meet for a long training run. Having this group to train with I became addicted to running.
This may be the most frustrating complication from the brain surgery in that nearly three years later I’m still not back to running. I have gotten back to distance walking but I desperately hope I will be able to run again. I have joined a new support group – Run the Year. With this group, I’ve committed to run and/or walk 2020 miles over the year. Initially when I signed up my intention was to be a lurker but then I had this light bulb moment that the times I’ve been successful is when I’ve actively participated. The stories have been amazing and fully expect to complete this challenge. Another legacy moment in the making.
