They are the inspiration for why you go out of your house and make that run possible in spite of various odds. They push you to achieve your goals, and they do it together with you.
No matter what your pace, no matter how far you run or how long you run, they will be there at the finish line to cheer you up, and that is what makes you believe why you should continue doing what you are doing.
For beginners, it's more important that they find a community to run with that helps them and guides them because it's about people who have seen what it takes to go through a process to be a better runner.
The community helps to do this, and it helps you become a humbler and kinder person. People tend to lose hope and give up easily when they are on their own and that is where the community plays an important role; it encourages you to take baby steps and rise when you fall and to not let obstacles deter you. There is a famous saying that goes around in running communities " If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together."
And life's a marathon, you progress a bit every day; you just can't sprint through it. It is overwhelming to see people fight off their inner demons and challenge themselves to excel every day when they step out to run.
The best part of running with a community is that you find inspiration every day; people motivate each other no matter what they are going through.
Everyone comes with a different motive but has only one way to channel their energy, and that is to run. There is a sense of belongingness that comes when you start running with a community, and you get inspired by their stories and their struggles and what brought them here.
Running communities help you learn about things that are difficult to find on simple Googling. You learn about how you improve yourself as a runner, about different aspects of running and what it takes to be a better runner, be it the shoes, clothes, nutrition. They don't just help you run, they help you to find your WHY? WHY do you run? And that is important because running helps liberate yourself more than anything else; it helps you become more inclusive than anything else.
I have been fortunate to lead the Delhi chapter of the largest and the funnest global community @adidasrunners for over a year now, and I've witnessed some incredibly inspiring and life- changing stories. Sport has the power to change lives. The community empowers runners.
We're about Purpose Beyond Running: "We start together, we finish together."
The Adidas Runners community holds the principle of purpose at the heart of everything we do, and through encouraging actions of true purpose and meaning for the wider community, our runners are empowered by working towards a larger goal.
By encouraging people to know that they don't have to limit themselves to just this one thing, the Adidas community creates an environment that empowers people, making them want to push further.
(Reeti Sahai is adidas Runners Delhi Captain)
( With inputs from IANS )