A lot of runners prefer to pound it out by themselves. There is something meditative and relaxing in our hyper connected society where it's just you and the ground.
While running is an individual endeavor, I often think that it is best done in the context of a community. There are certainly no shortages of running clubs here in Los Angeles, in fact it's easy to find one. I encourage all runners to run with a group once in a while. When you run and engage in conversation, time seems to fly and the activity itself becomes effortless. Running with other runners pushes you to become a better runner and often times a better person.
Los Angeles County has a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. We have the largest homeless population in California. California has the highest percentage of homeless people in the United States.
While we are not the government, can't build housing and don't have the resources to help everyone experiencing homelessness, there is something all runners can do: come down to Skid Row once in a while and run with us.
The idea of running in Skid Row, probably the poorest concentration of homeless individuals in California probably sounds appalling, but in the context of a running community it makes all the difference.
Our club shatters stereotypes and perceptions about homelessness. In the Skid Row Running Club, you learn that everyone has a story. Many in recovery, have gone thru trauma and circumstances you could never imagine and you realize that sometimes it's just sheer luck that you didn't have those tragedies visit you. However, running teaches us to just keep moving forward one step at a time. Show everyday and make something happen, even when you don't want to.
The Skid Row Running Club fosters consistency and persistence. When you show up to run weekday mornings on Skid Row, you are showing that community that you care and you are making a difference in the lives of others and yourself. Plato once said that you can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a lifetime of conversation.