I
am doing something I never thought I would do. I am turning my passion
into a reality! I am starting a run club! It’s funny; it took my
neighbor harassing me to do a triathlon for me to walk into this new
life. I wasn't a pro at either sport. I didn't swim (I just
couldn't), I didn't ride a bike (I could, I just didn't), and I didn't run (I
really hated running). Since I don’t like to let anything beat me, I
worked very hard to conquer my fears and put aside my dislikes to successfully
complete two sprint triathlons! During that experience, I realized that
the part that moved me the most was the running.
The
turning point:
I
was given the opportunity to lead a local chapter of a national run
organization and LOVED IT! I learned through that experience that my
greatest joy is to help others. After almost two years of
leading/promoting/supporting /encouraging, my time with the run organization
ended. I quickly realized that I still wanted to help others. I
still wanted to be a part of that social, encouraging environment. Did
the impossible just happen? Did I realize that I had fallen in love with
running?
The
leap of faith:
After
much prayer and encouragement from those I had helped, I started a local group
near my house. We hit the pavement together and it felt really good
supporting people again. It snowballed. In two months, it grew from
5 people to 108 people. I was stunned and humbled. I wanted to
become a credible coach. I felt that I was a strong leader but lacking in
the formal education of running. I recently took the Road Runners Club of
America Coaching Certification Course to officially become a certified run
coach.
Now,
I want to share all that I have learned with anyone interested in hearing
it. I don’t want new runners to experience running the way most of us do,
through trial and error. I want to put experience and expert knowledge
together to help runners out there to remain injury-free and truly enjoy the
sport of running.
If
you’re interested in learning more, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram! Join us! We are the SoleSociety Run Club and we are here
to Educate, Inspire and Encourage!
Happy
Running!
Yulonda Burris
SoleSociety Run Club Founder
What an awesome post!!! As a child, running never bothered me because I just enjoyed playing outside with friends. As an adult, I HATED running. I hated it so much because I just didn't know what I was doing. I would have shin pain, lower back pain, and even pain in my arches. I tried a 5K completely cold but I loved the race atmosphere. So, I started running in my neighborhood but found it to be very boring doing it alone and quit soon after. Several years later, I decided to give it another shot. Joined a local chapter of a national organization and really enjoyed the support and new network of running friends. The only problem is, I'm still having pains and I'm still unsure how to overcome them. I need solid training and education which that group did not provide. I am very pleased to hear that you are offering this with your running club. Looking forward to join some of your group activities.
ReplyDeleteI am excited about what's to come with the SoleSociety Run Club!
ReplyDelete