If you follow me on social media, chances are that you’ll be aware of the fact I’m now part of the “Brooks Running – Run Happy Team“. Becoming part of the team felt like a “Pinch Me” moment, over the past few months I’ve questioned, “Do I have what it takes to help people run happy?” – Even more so, with the current pandemic when running freely and with company feels like a distant memory.
I’m not part of the team to be the best, I’m part of the team to inspire as many people as possible to run their path towards a better self.
On the morning of the event, I woke a huge bundle of nerves – I was suffering from imposter syndrome and unable to shake off the feeling. I met with a few members of the team beforehand, we grabbed a light bite to eat and headed over to the venue to meet everyone else.
At first, it felt a little overwhelming, suddenly all the people I had been talking to over the past few months were gathered together. We took it in turns to introduce ourselves and tell a little about our running story…
My mind went blank. I forgot about my favorite place to run, I forgot about the time I ran nearly 20 miles with bleeding feet & a determined heart. Or that I completed a whole host of obstacle races, despite getting stuck, being electrocuted on my butt & slightly traumatized by jumping over fire. Or the time I started a half marathon in the dog race section & it ended up being 15miles (yes, really!) of torture.
I left the event in awe of so many other people. But all I could mumble is I love running & making others happy.
The day was a carefully pieced together rota of learning about the Brooks Brand, from the “Run Happy” ethos to the history of Brooks. You can read more about the history here if you’re interested. Plus, we learned about the apparel, you can learn more about the technology here. Of course, it wouldn’t be a meet without an opportunity to get outside and run of course! So we split into teams and headed out for a social 5km, the sun was beaming, conversation hummed and my spirits soared.
Running Is A Gift – Every day with a run is better. Every run brings you closer to your best self. And you end every run in a better place than you started.
I actually feel a little bit overwhelmed and emotional typing this because I had no idea that life would be so different a few weeks later. Everything was so easy and so full of joy, we returned to the venue and unwound with a wonderful yoga practice. Followed by huge amounts of delicious pizza and apres event drinks. The feeling of community and togetherness is something that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Katie x
