Finding people to run with

I have run for hundreds of miles this year, and most of them have been alone.

I find great value in running alone. There is great benefits to the solitude it brings. It is a chance to unplug from the world of networks that are constantly drawing on us. I cannot be distracted by the internet of things. And any phone call has to wait. I do not have a crying kid to attend to. I am running, feeling the ground, the spread of my toes in my shoes, the expansion and contraction of my breath, my heartbeat. There also is something to be said for pushing oneself when no one is looking. If I can run faster when no one is chasing me, imagine how fast I will run when someone is. And being alone is something that becomes more common the older you get.

But there are limits to individual will. There is a reason why personal bests are set on race day. When you are running in a group of people, the communal focus on accomplishing the goal strengthens your legs and quickens your pace.

One of the ways that I have been blessed is by surrounding myself with people who want me to succeed as much as I want to succeed. The people in your circles consume your time. Be sure to have people in your circles who are doing the things you want to be doing.

One of the reasons my wife and I work so well together is because we have many of the same goals. Most of my free time is spent with her. If she did not have the same goals, I would never accomplish mine.

I also am blessed with the career path I am in, as it directly feeds another goal of mine. So many of the coworkers in this space are encouraging one another to move forward towards this similar goal.

Life is so much like running a race. There are many miles spent alone. But the miles spent alongside someone else are faster and more enjoyable, definitely more memorable.

When we think about who we run with in life, it is often who we spend the most time with.

One of my favorite grouping of graphs are the 6 groups we spend time with over the course of our life. For example, most of your time with your kids peaks in your 30s then sharply declines for the rest of your life. So run with them while they are around!

I encourage you to click the link below and consider who you are running alongside with the time you have.

If you liked this post, or you feel like it would start a good conversation, please share this with your friends and ask them to subscribe.

It would help me a lot. Thanks for reading! 

More from the Spark Newsletter universe

New videos coming out weekly: https://youtube.com/@thejacobhayward?si=JHgwOjGP_-FwY3l0

Follow me on X for newest updates: https://x.com/thejacobhayward?s=21