GUEST POST: Impacting Those Around You by Jeremy

The running community is pretty FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC if you ask me! I have been BEYOND BLESSED to have connected with so many amazing people since starting my running journey (back in 2012). One such ROCKSTAR is Jeremy! He lives in Arizona but I have been fortunate to hang out IRL on multiple occasions and it's always a BLAST! His HUGE HEART always makes me smile from ear-to-ear, so when he offered to write a guest post on impacting those around you I knew we'd all be in for a treat! The world needs more of us trying to spread kindness! #PayItForward

Paying it Forward with Positive Energy

Our social feeds are saturated with snapshots of our friends’ watches, boosting fast splits and new PRs. We see friends podium, place in their age group, or tackle mind-blowing challenges. While all of this is inspiring on it’s own, I encourage you to take a step back for a moment and remember what it was like when you first started running. All of those personal achievements can seem intimidating to the running newbie or someone struggling to find their inner runner.

Now don’t get me wrong, when I reach a new PR or finish a big endurance adventure, I’m singing loud and proud on social. Keep that up, it’s all good! My point here is this: the online running community is an amazing thing. It connects us with runners from all over the world, creating new friendships and an endless resource for both advice and motivation. And I feel that sometimes we might forget about the latter.

I fall victim to it myself from time to time. I get so swept up in talking about my accomplishments that I forget there are people there that need some positive energy to keep running. No, I’m not talking about posting an inspirational quote. Instead, I challenge you to reach out and engage with your followers. Take some time to scroll and find some runners you might not normally interact with.

Don’t just give them a “like”. Tell them they’re doing a great job. Ask how they’re training is going. Is someone injured and struggling during recovery? Help lift them out of the slump like only another runner can. A virtual high-five, if you will, can do so much. Just a small amount of positive energy can go a long way. It can revive a struggling runner. Help another achieve their personal goals. Or just simply put a smile on someone’s face.

And speaking of high-fives, don’t forget about your fellow runner in person! While running a race, I always try to spread some good vibes. Those out-and-back courses may seem like a pain, but it’s a great chance to give others some high-fives and encouragement. Tell someone you pass “good job”, “looking good”, or “keep it up”. And don’t forget all the runners still crossing the finish line after you’ve gotten your medal. Stick around or return later to keep the crowd’s energy high. Or loosen up those tight muscles by going out on the course to cheer runners in.

There are so many ways we can spread positive energy to our fellow runners. The possibilities are endless! I highly encourage you to take one of those opportunities every now and again to spread a smile. After all, it’s contagious and may come back to YOU when you need it most.

Um... can you say AWESOMESAUCE?! This post is right up my alley! So much so that when I was running with friends at the Rock 'N' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon a couple weeks ago I may have been "harassed" by friends because I try my darnedest to spread a little love to my fellow runners. Often times we can get stuck in our own bubble, but I am so thankful to Jeremy for reminding us to take a minute to step outside of ourselves and give to those around us! If you would like to follow Jeremy, you can find him on Instagram, Twitter and on his personal blog.

Can you think of a time someone helped to inspire or motivate you?