Yesterday I had the privilege of running with my local North New Jersey team, the Clifton Road Runners in one of our winter ‘bun runs’.  We invited another local team to join us, the De Novo Harriers.  The temperature at the start of the run was 6 degrees.  Normally, most people would have bagged the run or turned it inside on the treadmill.  We thankfully did not – teams mixed and ran together and the 40 of us then bonded over some after-run refreshments.  Two people who had never joined a team before ended up joining our team at the end of the day.

Those Around You Can Be Inspirations

Surround yourself with a supportive, energetic team in all that you do.  This includes your family (hopefully!), friends, co-workers and other people around you.  The team’s whole are usually greater than the parts.  If you want a project done, you get the best people to help you.  If you need emotional support, you turn to your best friend.

Doing anything alone also is not that fun.  Who likes to wash a full sink of dirty dishes or fold piles of laundry by themselves?  Talking and working together makes these things so much easier.  You also learn from other on how they do things and you can take these pointers to make your jobs easier.  This is life and we were meant to help each other succeed.

Are You Lonely?

Along those lines, Running does NOT have to be “futile” with “miles that never seem to end”, as Bruce Dickinson Of Iron Maiden wails in the song “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”.     They can be fun miles – particularly with good company.  They also can be tough miles, as teammates push each other through punishing track workouts.

Find yourself a running partner, a team, a group – anything to make your runs easier.  Whether they wordlessly pace you to a specific goal without any hesitation or if they listen to your problems or you have a conversation about hair dye used in the Falkland Islands, the miles pass faster with friends!

Thanks to the Team…..

What would I have done if in the last 35 years I had to run all 39,000~ miles of my running life by myself?  I honestly wouldn’t be running anymore!  It would become boring.  I have talked about life, work, dating, marriage, kids, food, vacations, politics – every topic imaginable with well over 300 or more different people at one time or another during a run.

So I thank my various teams: Saddle Brook Falcons, Pace Setters, Clifton Road Runners, Roche corporate club, and my NCRC coaching for bringing people together to make my runs fun and enjoyable.   What are your teams?  Look up a local running club if you are not part of one.  There are thousands across the country – there is no excuse to run entirely by yourself – unless you want to!

Happy Running

#team #running #runningtips #trialsofmiles #NCRC #inspiration

Nickolas Joannidis
Nickolas Joannidis
I have been running for over 35 years, having done practically every possible racing event or distance from the 100 meters through the marathon. I competed in varsity high school cross country and track at Saddle Brook High School in the mid-1980's, varsity cross country and track at Division II Pace University and finished well over 200 road races since then, including 20 marathons with a lifetime best of 3:14:50. I was the president of the Hoffmann LaRoche corporate running team for 7 years, growing the team from 25 to over 90 during his tenure. I coached many of these runners to achieve their goals, whether they were beginners or advanced. In 2011 I was an assistant coach for the Fair Lawn Recreation track team, helping the 10 to 14 year old group. I am currently personally coaching dozens of runners, from beginner levels to advanced levels and getting them to be prepared to meet their goals.

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