Motivation and the Saturday Group Run

Many, many years ago I was a "new" runner. And by new, I mean really, really new to running. Before I started hitting the streets of Bethlehem I had avoided running more than the distance around a baseball diamond at any and all cost. Kinda funny to think about now, but a true story.

I looked exactly like this,
but different

I began running after a major back injury while lifting weights. Back in the day my thing was putting large amounts of weight on my shoulders and squatting up and down. Every Sunday I would be joined by Bill and Al in the squat rack for our weekly ritual. My other thing was putting large amounts of weight on the ground and dead lifting it up. I'm 100% sure that this had nothing to do with the back pain I experienced at the ripe old age of 26.

At the time (1995) I started hitting the streets. I knew nothing about endurance sports, other than there were local 5k races and most big cities had a marathon every year. A few days a week I would run loops around the industrial park my business - Body Dynamics - was located. I couldn't tell you how far or how fast I went, but I suspect it was short and slow. Real slow.

This went on for a time and then a funny thing happened ... a couple of the guys from the gym joined me on a run one Saturday. Same thing happened the next weekend. Then the next weekend. Pretty soon it was a regular thing.

Almost 20 years later I still meet up with friends most Saturday mornings. Of course, it has evolved over the years. At the beginning we ran a few miles from my business as a way to keep fit. Pretty soon we all began to race local road races and training started to get more serious. By 1999 we were ready to take on the marathon distance. Since those early days the players have changed as people lose motivation, have a change in their life situation, or simply move on to other things. Today, my Facebook friends know this run as Jack & Jon's Saturday Morning Run.

Today this run is more than a run. Today, it is a social event that almost always includes breakfast and lasts most of the morning. What started as a few guys looking to log a few miles has turned into a mix of people who have different agendas and different paces. Running 9 minute miles? No problem. Heading out for a hilly run on the roads or a tempo run on the towpath? Awesome. We may (mostly) start at the same time but we always try and end around the same time. There's breakfast after all.

Love, love love this ride.

Over the year's Jack & Jon's Saturday Morning Run has been my greatest source of motivation. This goes beyond the fact that I know people are waiting for me. The people I run with - both the regulars and the infrequent faces - are not only great athletes, but great people as well. No matter what my mood is when I wake up, I feel great after that run ... even if I haven't had my best.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the Saturday morning run is about more than just running. It's about friends, it's about keeping our sanity. Many a run has become a therapy session after a bad race; Sometimes it's working out some issue in somebody's personal life; we even have solved all the world's problems over the course of 20 miles; And sometimes it's bragging about the awesome new bike you just bought for the upcoming triathlon season. And when I say you, I mean me ... and the Quintana Roo Illicito really is an awesome ride.

Nobody gets left behind. Back in the mid-1990s, Jack and I went out for a long run one Saturday morning around 11 am. The month was July and we were in the middle of a major heatwave. As we were the only two people on the trail everyone else apparently got the memo that running in that type of heat is really effin' stupid. It got ugly. Really ugly. We somehow made it back to the cars. The world was spinning, but together we made it. Without Jack that day I could have very easily become a carcass on the side of the path. I think he would tell you the same.

Over time I morphed from a marathoner into a triathlete but the Saturday morning run remained a constant. In 2006 I trained for my first full Ironman event with Jack and the crew by my side. For the four months leading into the race my Friday afternoon conversation with Jack would start with the same question - what did I have to do to be ready for Ironman Lake Placid? For four months Jack put aside his training goals to help me prepare for my event. Whatever pace, whatever distance, our runs became all about me.

For almost 20 years I have had a weekly standing date with some of my best friends who have not only pushed me to reach my goals, but have also been a huge source of motivation in the pursuit of those goals. I try and do the same for them. The players change from week to week and over time, but the motivational factor remains the same. Earlier this year I couldn't run after tearing the meniscus in my right knee. For the first time ever, I wasn't physically able to run on Saturday mornings with the crew.

I showed up for breakfast, but couldn't run.

It sucked.

Fortunately, I am again healthy and meeting up with whoever shows up on Saturday morning. Hitting the pool alone just didn't cut it with me. I missed the comradely ... I missed the time with friends on the trail ... I missed the motivation.

Whether you are new to exercise or a long time committed athlete, finding a group of people to train with, even if it is just one day a week, can be a great source of motivation.


How do you stay motivated? 

Real quick before you go, if you are reading this blog you must be concerned about your health. As a part of my day job as a partner at Magellan Financial  I come upon some interesting things that overlap between giving financial advice in my business life and my passion for health and fitness. One of those things I have stumbled upon is a new player in the health insurance field, Oscar Insurance. Currently available in New York and New Jersey, what they offer looks to be well ahead of the curve of both technology and common sense. If you are in that area and in need of health insurance it would be worth your time to check them out.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon