Excerpt from Morgan’s Blog “The Running [Dharma] Bums
Two weeks ago during a brutal 7 am workout I found myself singing “I get by with a little help from my friends” in my head. Very nice you might think, but when you are supposed to be running 5K pace and are chasing down your fast friends behinds it may seem a bit strange (and slow tempo’d). But that’s just it! I imagined myself trying to give the same effort all alone with no one alongside of me or in front of me, and it was depressing. Once the few minutes of pain were all said and done I had the exhausted yet smiling faces of my running friends to turn to. We all understood exactly how each other felt and would carry the same fatigue-laden satisfaction with us throughout the day, and maybe the next as well.
My latest project at SMACK! Media involves this same idea, that the power of belief and the support of your friends can help you accomplish the things you dream about! We wanted to do something special with a client like Believe I Am whose training journals and fashion pieces with powerful visual cues have helped and inspired us so much. The SMAACKANISTAS also the entrepreneurial badassness of the company which was founded by professional runners Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan. It’s all about not putting “life” on hold to follow your dreams–balance is a beautiful thing.
The Believe I Am “Sisters in Sport” (#sistersinsport) is a network of women who are bloggers and athletes (from a variety of sports and levels) who will share their racing, fitness and wellness goals along with “Believe I Am” journal entries in their blogs over the next few months. The women who are from very different walks of life, and from all over the country, will also be put in touch with one another so that they can encourage and support each other as a team/community (“Sisters in Sport”). Just because you don’t have the opportunity to train with your friends everyday, doesn’t mean that you can’t have that kind of support and friendship that helps you get out the door or complete a difficult task.
This past weekend I had the incredible experience of spending some quality time with some of my best “Sisters in Sport” from my last 10 years of running during my Bachelorette Party! From my sister who ran Cross-Country with me in high school, three of my college team mates and roomies to the ladies that I currently wake up at 7 am to do tough workouts and long runs with, I found myself surrounded by the women who continue to inspire me, make me smile and have an infectious zest for life! We used the same endurance that helped us on the track and race course to give us the strength to “live it up” and dance our asses off until almost 4am. The next day we all motivated each other up and out of bed, the way we used to before practice, and carpooled home together just like old times. While our goals and day-to-day lives have all changed tremendously, the bond we formed while running is like none other and I am so grateful to call these friends my team mates for life!