Not Every Runner is Awesome.

Some REALLY Suck.

I’ve been thinking about community a lot lately.

A few years ago, I worked on a book (Beautiful Money by Leanne Jacobs) that asked its readers to create a list of core values.

I chose Mind/Body Wellness, Family, Autonomy, Learning, and Community.

What I meant by “community” at the time was volunteering — participating in my local community.

But lately I’ve been thinking differently.

Living in San Francisco, I’m part of the community just by being here. That’s kind of automatic, right?

But being a part of the running community — well that’s different.

Membership isn’t assumed. We join at different times — when we decide we’re a runner, for example, or when we finish our first race or subscribe to Runner’s World or join a club.

In both communities I’m a part of, individual participation varies.

I’m pretty active in SF. I volunteer, I read local news, I try to know my neighbors.

And I’m pretty active in running too — by being a coach, being a member of Volee, offering free advice to my newsletter. There’s a lot of similarities.