Finding the Right Niche

Since I moved from the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio four years ago, I have had limited success in finding a running group where I truly felt comfortable. It's more to do with me and my insecurities about not being fast enough. When I lived in the Valley, my group was supportive of runners of all speeds and I started a rule where no runner was left behind.

I have made some friends within various groups and occasionally meet up with them. But, a lot of the time I hang back from joining because I feel like I'm slowing everyone down.

This past weekend, I think I found a group. We're all stubborn tortoises and we walk occasionally but it felt so good to actually hold a pace for more than a mile. I felt right at home with them and enjoyed getting to know them. I plan to do my weekend runs with them whenever I can. This is kind of a breakthrough and makes me pretty happy.

Photo: From back to front: Maria, Karen, Becky, me (in a rare instance of leading). Photo courtesy of Vivian Montalvo.