Over a year ago, one of my co-workers convinced me to alter my normal morning run schedule and instead enjoy evening runs after work with a few of my co-workers. Originally, I had plenty of excuses not to join.

They are too fast.

They’ve been running together for a while already.

I don’t have time.

People will judge me for leaving my desk at 5:15pm.

After a great deal of persuasion, I laced up my shoes and put my computer away one afternoon at 5pm, even though I knew most nights I’d return to my desk for some sweaty work after the run.  I fell in love immediately not just with the group camaraderie which I always love during run clubs. But, running with co-workers gives you a time to talk about the days events in a safe environment and brainstorm together.

I never looked back and since then have run with the group at least once per week, sometimes 2-3. While we tend to run the lower loop more than any other path due to time we’ve had some adventures along the way including getting lost on the back paths, hill repeats, loops along the reservoir, and even a few weekend long runs during marathon training.

Tonight was my last run club and tears definitely fell as I ran towards Central Park, surrounded by co-workers who came out in the July heat and humidity after a long weekend for a run together.     

These people are a perfect example of why I love running. It doesn’t always have to be about the speed or the distance. Some evenings it’s just about getting out of the office and burning off some stress together.

I look forward to finding a similar group in Geneva beginning next week but until then, I’m so thankful for these amazing friends and co-workers!