Every Friday, three DC area bloggers Mar at Mar On the Run, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?! and Courtney from Eat Pray Run, DC to host the Friday Five linkup. Anyone can join with their own Friday Five post (yes, it must be a Friday Five!!) They encourage you to visit other blogs on the linkup, comment, share and engage!
My Friday Five topic is: Five Reasons To Mentor New Runners
- Finding New Places To Run
When I volunteered in the STEM program in 2014, I ran around Union College in Schenectady. I have run at UAlbany but Union College was a nice change of scenery.
interesting area to run especially the surrounding neighborhood
The second time, last fall, I discovered the Schuyler Flats park. (The group also ran on the Schenectady Bike Path)
a very pretty park – great for a short run
For the GOTR practice 5k, I ran in a new local neighborhood. I have since gone back to run there.
2. Meeting New People
The other mentors in the STEM program are awesome. It’s always fun to meet other runners. We bonded instantly.I am looking forward to meet this year’s mentors.
I haven’t had as much contact with the running buddies in GOTR but the ones I have met were very nice.
3. Fits into your Running Schedule
I run after work anyway. So my STEM runs fit right in. Yes, they are walk run but often, I get there early and run a few miles or I stay afterward to run. It causes no lapses in my training.
4. Making a Difference in Someone Else’s Life
I can’t explain how it feels to watch women who have suffered so much in their lives be successful.
And to see the joy young girls get from participating in their first race.
I actually did so little but hopefully me being at their practices and races did make a difference.
5. It’s motivating.
New runners’ enthusiasm for running is contagious. It actually makes me want to run more.
The picture above was from my first mentoring experience in 2010. They were a bunch of young mothers running their first 5k. These ladies actually are responsible for me pushing myself to try a half marathon.
Happy Running! Have you ever mentored a new runner? If so, how did you benefit?
I haven’t because I still feel like a new runner myself.But it’s amazing the commitment you have and the opportunities you give others through mentoring.
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I didn’t do it right away and some times I still feel like a newbie esp with long distances. I am lucky because these opportunities exist and they don’t take a lot of time to be involved.
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so nice that you do this! i haven’t engaged in any running mentoring programs but i’ve talked with girlfriends who want to get into running and gone out for runs or trained them. i’d love to do more of that.
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These ops just fell into my lap. I also also talked 2 of my co-workers into running a 5k and they did. I am working on getting more people where I work to run.
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that’s awesome that you’re such a motivator!
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yes! I love coaching my gotr girls and also mentoring our newer MRTT mother runners I find great satisfaction in helping them
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I’d love to coach GOTR because you get to know the girls better but I work. Good for you that you mentor new runners. And yes, it is satisfying when you make a difference in someone’s life.
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I volunteered for GOTR a few yrs ago. It was for the race so I didn’t run with the girls. I would like to sometime. I think it’s a great way to help with their selfesteem at that age.
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Yup. The goal of GOTR is not running but building self-esteem. We both know that running does that.
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I’ve gotten to help new runners and it is one of the most satisfying things about running – we started a Fit Five group where we got some adult runners from zero to running a 5K, and when I watched them cross the finish line at their first race, I was practically in tears!
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Me too.
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I’ve gotten to run & encourage with a lot of new runners in my USAFit group. While I’ve never actually signed up to be an assistant coach, I guess you could say in some ways I have been already!
I love seeing the confidence someone who has never run more than a mile or a 5k gets after running 7 miles for the first time
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Darlene you are a great mentor and have so much to offer young runners! When you give your time and effort, you always, always get back more than you give! I would love to be a part of something like this in my area. I know I should start it up…. 🙂
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It was easy because the opportunities just presented themselves. I didn’t even look for them. People contacted me.
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That’s great Darlene such a good thing for the young people too.
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I need to do this! There’s a woman at work who has just started running and I need to reach out to her!
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I”m not a running coach, but I have somehow found 2 inspired ladies to follow my lead and get workout into their schedule. Couch to 5K is on the books and I’m only happy to help. Thanks for the pointers!!
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I have not mentored a new runner but I can understand it would be a very wonderful experience
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This is a really inspiring post and makes me want to try mentoring. I was a buddy in the Stride program and ran with a little boy who needed someone for race day. But what you do is different and I may look into something like that here.
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This is absolutely beautiful! It’s fun being with the “been there done it” runners, but it’s even more inspiring to run among the newbies. I don’t get much opportunity to do so, but then again, I’m not actively seeking out that opportunity either (my bad). I need to take some action 😉
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These opportunities came to me. So I was lucky but I am glad that they did.
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