It's Hot in Here!

Sometimes it really difficult to get out of bed to run when it's cold, but what about when it's hot?  

The good thing about running in the cold is that you can run longer with less effort.  Some people really enjoy running in the heat.

Most people are naturally concerned during the cold and rush to shelters to provide clothing and blankets.  But the need during the summer heat is great as well, particularly on Skid Row.

Although summer has just gotten started Los Angeles has already broken heat records.  During our runs in Skid Row, we've noticed even more people and more tents as people are looking for relief from the heat.   

Recently I came across a great article in the LA Times about one person trying to do something to help those suffering in the heat.

That article besides detailing the heroic efforts of one person to help provide water to those in need, also mentioned the community reaction to this person's efforts.  Some people praised it, others jeered it.

It's a tricky issue:  Do you give handouts to people in need?  What difference does it make?  Aren't we just enabling 'those' people?

In my experience, most homeless people don't initially choose to be homeless or addicts.  Certain life circumstances caused them to fall into homelessness and addiction and the subsequent loss of self-esteem keeps them there.

Does the Skid Row Running Club have solutions?  We don't pretend to have them, but one thing we know that makes a difference:  When you case and recognize another person's humanity, that is a big first step to helping them lift themselves out of the cycle that got them into homeless and addiction in the first place.

Why the Skid Row Running Club works

We are a community, a family.  We show up for each other and we genuinely care.  In the Skid Row Running Club income, status, social standing and occupation are irrelevant.  There is an atmosphere of non-judgment.

Many people in society feel constantly judged, as if they aren't good enough.  People in addiction recovery and experiencing homelessness especially feel this way.  Marginalized.

Feeling like you are not good enough and not worth of acceptance is very debilitating.  It makes it hard for you to become motivated to do anything postive.

In the Skid Row Running Club, lawyers, judges, LAPD Officers, executives, students, recovering addicts and the homeless run side by side.   Everyone that is out before the crack of dawn and pushing themselves physically is a person with admirable, redeeming qualities.  When that person learns to get up, show up and run again and again, they learn something about themselves.  In fact, we all do.

They learn that the are good enough, they learn that they are accepted for who they are and more importantly they learn the grit and resilience necessary to succeed in their lives as a result of running.  

Not everyone in recovery or experiencing homelessness is successful the first time, in fact it often takes several attempts.  Running is like that as well, but you learn to bounce back.   We members who have left our program, have left because of relapse or some other personal problem, they come back.  They come back because the know they are welcome and won't be judged.

That's why the Skid Row Running Club works.

Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but...

in the ability to start over. 

I am frequently asked what the 'success' rate of your running club is.  First, I think the word 'success' is difficult to define in terms of addiction recovery and homelessness.  Second, our club is not a treatment provider nor do we explicitly provide social services.

Having said that, the 'success' rate of the Skid Row Running Club appears to be substantially higher than for the recovery community at large.  I say this because many of our members have maintained their sobriety for long periods of time, for the first time in their life.  That have found the self confidence to seize the narrative of their lives.  Is it solely because of the running club?  Of course not. 

The best success stories always work in conjunction with other groups, or communities if you will.  We are but one such community, but we are a strong one.   With AA and our running club, people have two strong yet distinct communities that are there for each other.

It's with the help of these communities, that members of our running club are able to get back on their feet.  Almost all of them eventually find gainful employment or return to school to learn a new trade.  It takes a community of like minded people to encourage and support each other.

There are members of our club that relapse back into drugs or homelessness, but they have more resiliency.  They bounce back faster and when they are ready, the Skid Row Running Club is there to welcome them back with open arms.

Run by yourself and you may run fast, but run with others and you will go far

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.