Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Virtual Running Buddies....one of the perks of social media







Sure, running in and of itself does a body, mind, and spirit good. But add in that little platform of social media and it's become a whole new ball game for me.

I have been running for more than 10 years, and have made some great friends along the way. In January of 2013, I created my Facebook page Running on the Fly and started blogging about my training, races, triumphs, setbacks, goals, and (moderate) aches & pains.....and my world suddenly shifted.

The bulk of my "real life" friends aren't runners (and I'm quite OK with that), and most of my Facebook friends (at the time) weren't runners either and I sensed they were growing tired of my constant status updates at finish lines and selfies with the latest addition to my increasing hardware collection.

So, I found an outlet where I could talk all things running (and fitness)...and suddenly had a captive audience that not only shared in my passion for running, but they encouraged me to tell them more!  When was my next race? How will I train for it? Are there any doubts in my ability to make it to the finish line? Yadda Yadda Yadda.

I became "virtual" friends with a lot of like-minded people, who also wanted an outlet to talk running. Several of these VRB's (Virtual Running Buddies) also were embarking on training for their first marathon.....and, wouldn't you know it? They all convinced me to dive in and train for my first marathon as well.

My first VRB was Fran from I Run Long. We instantly hit it off and shared a lot of laughs (via the computer screen). We got the crazy idea to try to meet up and do a race together....and due to a little finagling, we made it happen in St. Louis at the Rock'n Roll half marathon in October of 2013.

Fran and myself, just after the finish line in St. Louis
Next there was Karen from Trading in my Heels. Her and I have a lot of coincidental things in common it's almost like were sisters. After two years of virtual fun, we finally got to meet in person and ran the Drake Relays half marathon together in April of this year.

One of many pics with Karen during our half marathon
Then there's Penny (formerly of 26.YIKES)...she's the first VRB I got to sit down and share a meal with. I was in Chicago for the Fight for Air Climb in March of 2014, so she found me after the climb. It was just like being reaquainted with a long-lost grade school best friend. I ventured back to the windy city in July of that year, and her and I did the Rock'n Roll Festival extravaganza...running both the 5K on Saturday and then the half marathon the next day.

Penny and I with two of our RnR medals in the windy city
This past spring, I met Amy from Running on Faith and Coffee...a gal who lives an hour away. She also writes a blog and manages a Facebook page, and recently became a half marathoner!

With Amy at the Lucky Run
There's also Tammie from Life is ALWAYS better in running shoes...another Iowa gal who loves her distance running. We met up after an especially cold Dam to Dam, and we also found each other after a very hot Bix 7 race. No doubt we'll be seeing more of each other!

with Tammie after Dam to Dam
In June, I met Kelly from Bubblegum Runner while in Duluth, MN for Grandma's Marathon.....and she qualified for Boston! I wish I could have witnessed her victory at the finish line...but she was much faster than me.

It was so fun meeting Kelly!
In July, I ran my first ultra....and I did it with some of the most wonderful VRB's a gal could ask for. This race will always hold a very special place in my heart for the sisterhood ties that were built, strengthened, and solidified in the six hours of non-stop running (overnight) in extreme heat, humidity, rain, lightning and Christmas lights. I not only was re-aquainted with Karen and Penny, but also got to (finally!) meet Teri (from  Reinventitude), Michelle (from This Momma Runs) and Maggie in person. Also, even though she wasn't able to run with us, Wendy fromTaking the long way home showed up at the finish line with donuts for all of us!

Can you tell we just spent 6-plus hours running?
This is only a sampling of some of the wonderful peeps who never would have entered my life had it not been for social media. I'm in constant contact with these gals, several of them on a daily basis. We're not just runners, we're genuine friends. We have shared training tips, we have encouraged each other, we have laughed, and we have cried. Most of us trained for and ran our first marathon (virtually) together.....and anyone who has done a marathon knows you're never the same after that finish line.

18 comments:

  1. I am so happy to have met you both virtually and in real life! I feel like we've been friends forever! Your support and encouragement (and that card arrived just in time!) for this marathon helped get me to that start line. With all the vrbs I had pulling for me, there was no way I couldn't finish! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was so fun watching all your training work...total beast mode! I admire your commitment to all the stuff you did, what a great role model you are ;-) And, I am also very thankful we connected (last year? It seems like forever LOL), you are one of my biggest supporters, on my FB page and on my blog. Thanks!!!!

      Delete
  2. That's so awesome you've become so close with all these ladies, some of which I have been blessed to have met.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do indeed feel blessed that all these gals (and YOU) have found their way into my life. Now, we just got to find an event to meet up and high-5 each other ;-)

      Delete
  3. Congrats on having some VRBs! They are the best friends and understand what you are going through if your other friends aren't runners. It's nice to follow their journey as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree....I almost enjoy following their journey more than my own! It's great having others to discuss all things running with, and if you get the opportunity to meet-up in person...all the better ;-)

      Delete
  4. Maggie and I are childhood BFF's since 3 years old! :) So cool virtual running connections!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maggie is a sweet heart! I don't know her as well as the others (yet), but we spent some time together at the ultra, and she did awesome!!

      Delete
  5. Social media is amazing for this type of thing. I have so many super close friends I have never even met in real life! Craziness!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. absolutely! I love all my VRB's!! We share SO much via our computer screens, meeting face-to-face is just a bonus if it happens ;-)

      Delete
  6. I am inspired by so many VRB's and it's so much fun to meet in person. The women's running community is so supportive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen to that! I cherish all of my online running friends, the support and encouragement is awesome ;-)

      Delete
  7. That's so amazing, and so fun! I tell people all the time, I have some amazing online friends, or blogger friends who I have never met. If I say that people think I am crazy, but some of them have even become dear friends who we even chat with on the phone. Looking forward to meeting others at races one day soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, some of these gals are in my "texting world" and we constantly keep each other smiling. And some of us have tracked each other in races, via the text updates. Life is good!!

      Delete
  8. RUNNERS MAKE THE BEST FRIENDS! I have so many friends that I've never met, but they keep me going and we talk often. Just like with the blogging world. I finally got to meet a few of my VRF's this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Runners do make the best friends ;-) There are so many VRB's that I'm eager to meet face-to-face, but for now we keep each other sane via our computers. Life is good!!

      Delete
  9. What an awesome blog and so thankful for the chance to meet you and enjoy an opportunity to run the St. Louis half with you! It was the first time for me to not compete, but enjoy the company of a friend. Must do again! What awesome VRB's you have! Great blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES...we must do it again! It was so much fun laughing and chatting for those 13.1 miles ;-) And now you're headed to Boston!!!!! Yowza!! I am SOOOO excited for you!

      Delete