“BANG!” Feet kicked. Arms pushed. Mouths exhaled. I began to sprint in an attempt to keep up with the runners in front of me. My lungs ached for air and my legs screamed for me to stop. The first mile of the 5k race I followed the dirt trail into the woods. Girls were heavy breathing around me. The second mile I tried to pass people. A girl a few steps ahead saw me out of the corner of her eye and side-stepped in front of me. I tripped, but eventually got around her, despite her passive aggressive performance. The third mile I tried to survive while swerving through the sandy path. I saw the finish line appear in my line of sight. I saw the clock with my time changing. I saw my teammates and coach cheering me on.

“Bailey! Quick! She’s behind you!” They all screamed with wide eyes.

Truthfully, there usually wasn’t someone behind you. This was just a tactic to get someone to run faster. The thought of getting snaked right at the finish line after three endless miles was dreadful. But, it worked. I sprinted the last .1 of the race trying finish as fast I could.

I had finally finished. I was on the ground, heavy breathing, with a water cup in my hand. Now, we waited for the score to be added up. The top 6 teams would proceed to compete at every high school runner’s ultimate goal, the State Championship. My teammates and I all congregated together and discussed the challenges of our races. We laughed at the difficulty of the course and congratulated each other on our times. We were all so anxious when Coach McGarity told us to come over to stand by our team in a group. The announcer started in 15th place. His voice seemed to drone on forever, despite his unwavering enthusiasm. With every name my teammates’ and I began becoming more nervous. Would our school be next? Would we fall short of top six out of the fifteen teams?

After my last meet as a high school student, I immediately knew that I would miss my experiences running for my cross-country team. Because I have been running since middle school, running has become part of my life, despite my love-hate relationship with it. My coach from high school, Coach McGarity, enforced this passion for running, through the hardships of practices and losses and through the triumphs of wins and laughter. Running was not only a social aspect for me, but I knew it also had many health benefits.

Now that I’m in college, I find myself mostly running alone. I miss the team aspect of running and the feeling of comradery among fellow runners. It was soon after I began my first semester at Florida State that I heard about a running club called Seminole Striders from a high school friend, Emma Fernandez. Emma and I have been running on a team together since middle school. I wanted to learn more about the club to discover if it would be something I would consider joining.

“I didn’t want to give up running after I graduated so Seminole Striders was perfect for me”, Emma told me after I asked her why she joined. I feel the same way because I don’t want to give up something that has been a part of me for a long time. She continued by laughing and saying,

“Just to make it clear, I never liked running, it honestly was difficult for me to find motivation in the beginning but running as a group gives me tons of motivation.” I felt that many people could relate to this because motivation is an important aspect of exercising. I then asked Emma if there was a sense of community within the club and she responded by saying, “The people in Striders acted like my teammates I ran with in high school, everyone is really supportive and that is what I need in a running experience. Without a supportive group to run with, I don’t really feel the motivation to keep going.” She continued to describe how Seminole Striders brought back memories to her times running high school cross country and the team aspect. Emma said she felt comfortable running with the Seminole Striders because there was a large variety of people with different running backgrounds.

 “It felt good to see that there were all kinds of runners, from people who were starting out, and to those who have been running for years” she described. We then talked about how the Seminole Striders influences the FSU community and Emma informed me that “Seminole Striders is more than a running club.” She then continued to describe how the club tries to get involved by participating in local runs for the community at FSU and in the Tallahassee area. “Whenever there is a 5k or popular race, the club tries to encourage everyone to join in and run it.” Emma also stressed the idea that everyone should get up and run sometime in their life, she mentioned that it’s healthy and it’s a great stress reliever, especially if you’re a student. Emma’s interview was genuine because I thought that someone with a leadership position may have had more bias in order to get more people to join, which is why I interviewed a member instead.

Emma is correct. According to the article “Running as a Key Lifestyle Medicine for Longevity” posted in the journal “Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases”, not only is running one of the most popular types of exercises, but it also has been proven that regular physical activity, such as running, “prevents chronic diseases and reduces the risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality”. The article further describes a study that found that runners have a lower percentage of mortality compared to those who do not run. After the study was accommodated for various factors, such as BMI and smoking status, the study found that the running “reduce(s) the risk of premature death by 25%-40%.” Not only does running decrease the risk of mortality, but it also contributes to protection from “mortality resulting from neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and respiratory infections.” In addition to protection from diseases, the article discusses how runners normally have a healthy body weight, do not smoke, and do not consume copious amounts of alcohol because running allows and encourages them to participate in other forms of healthy behaviors (Lee, Duck-chul, et al., pg. 46).

In addition to physical benefits, running also tends to offer mental prosperity. According to the article, “Happy Feet: evaluating the benefits of a 100-day challenge on mental health and wellbeing” published in “BMC Psychiatry”, a study showed that programs and incentives, such as the “100-day challenge”, “improved mental health and wellbeing in people”. The study focused on 1,963 participants in Japan who completed at least 70% of the “100-day challenge”, which included each individual taking at least 10,000 steps for 100 days. Their psychological wellbeing was then addressed by asking each individual questions about the state of their mental health after the challenge ended. The results of the study showed that there were “improvement in levels of depressive symptoms”, “anxious symptoms”, “stress symptoms”, and “overall wellbeing”. Stated from the article, “this study demonstrated that engaging in a workplace-based step program improved stress levels by 8.9%, signs of depression by 7.6%, anxiety by 5.0% and wellbeing by 2.1% from baseline.” The “100-day challenge” study supports and emphasizes the benefits that minor changes to an exercise regime has on mental health (Hallam, K. T., et al., pg. 2).

              As mentioned in Emma’s interview, running often times also offers its members a sense of community and comradery. One significant example of this is represented by a video produced by ESPN, detailing a motivational story of a young high school runner overcoming a severe disability, multiple sclerosis. The video, “Catching Kayla”, describes how the story’s main character, Kayla, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The video continues to show viewers how Kayla persevered and pursued her passion of running despite her disease’s distressing and unknown affects. According to the video, Kayla started off as an average runner, but was still welcomed onto the team. As she practiced and improved, she began to become one of the best runners in the state of North Carolina. One piece of the video that was very moving was how Kayla forms a close relationship with her teammates, and especially her coach. Kayla would run every race to the best of her ability knowing that her coach would be there at the end to catch her. Her disease would make Kayla lose feeling in her legs and hinder her from moving, let alone walking. To be left half paralyzed at the end of each race would be quite a frightening experience for many. Because of this, viewers can see the amount of trust that Kayla and her coach have in each other. Running offered Kayla an outlet where she was not defined by her disease and where she flourished with people who shared her passion ("Catching Kayla”).

              Seminole Striders is a Co-ed group of FSU students who have an affinity for running. There are about 50 actual club members, but usually about 15 students show up on the days of the meetings. When I attended one of the practices, only 10 students attended.

              Seminole Striders encourages everyone who comes to do the recommended schedule that is sent through email the week before. This normally includes a “speed day” on Mondays at the track. The rest of the week is “distance days” ranging from 2-6 miles.

              Practices occur Monday through Friday at 5:00 P.M. I attended a practice on a Friday and although I arrived 10 minutes early, most students start arriving about 5 minutes before 5:00 P.M. so they can begin stretching before the run.

              The practices are located at the IM fields, where the group first stretches and then leaves to go on a run in the neighboring area. Often times, the group will run through campus or go off campus down the street. On the particular day I came, we ran down the street past the shops on Stadium Drive. I ran with my friend, Emma, whom I had also interviewed. We mostly talked amongst ourselves as cars zoomed past us. Although I enjoyed this, I didn’t expect for everyone to run so far ahead. In addition to this, it seemed to me that many of the members had already formed close bonds with each other and had a clique. This is contrary to the welcoming atmosphere that I had expected.

              Seminole Striders is a group meant for people of all running capabilities. It is established so that no member will feel pressured or ashamed of their running background. While the group is not competitive at practices, the leaders do encourage the members to take part in local road races in Tallahassee.

              Being a part of any club or group establishes a sense of community. For the running group at FSU, Seminole Striders, this sense of community is prevalent in their social media posts. For example, one post on the Seminole Strider’s Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/seminolestridersfsu/), featured club members in a group photo on February 4th, 2018. In the picture, there are thirteen FSU students, who are all smiling at the camera. There is a student in the background of the group photo holding a sign that says, “Go Seminole Striders!” This shows that the group’s members are proud of the fact that they are part of the group and have school pride. The caption of the picture is “Congrats to all the Striders who ran the Tallahassee Half/Full Marathon this morning!!! WE KILLED IT!!!!” The caption shows how supportive the group’s members are to each other and emphasizes the idea that not all group members have to participate in these races. The atmosphere is very relaxed, and followers of the page can see that no event is required. The exclamation marks and words in all capital letters show that this was an exciting time. The group members also commented on this picture through their own Instagram accounts. One member, @b_da_best_, commented “Good job!! You guys looked great out there”. This shows that Seminole Striders has a presence in the community and that members will encourage each other on their performance through the comments. Another comment, by @anastasias__aura, says “SO PROUD of you guys, what an amazing team of road whores you all are, you really steal the street”. This comment shows how members share their personal feelings because they have created bonds with each other. This particular comment is also very intriguing because of the use of word “whore”. Although not used typically, the use of the phrase “road whores” shows how comfortable the group’s members are using inappropriate lingo without fear of being insulting or rude to the person who posted the picture. The phrase is used as a compliment, which can be confusing to the older generations of Instagram users. “Road whores” is used to imply that they are well established runners while participating in road races. It can be assumed that the person who commented that they were “so proud” has formed connections with the members and have established a friendship to where she can proud of their progress. The last comment on the picture by @suemogavero says, “Congrats Striders!! You are AWESOME!” This is another example of how members recognize Seminole Striders as a community on campus and encourages them on their running performance, despite their times.

              Another example of an Instagram post is another group photo of the members of the club. The fact that the majority of posts on the Seminole Striders Instagram page also signifies that is a large aspect of the club itself. The picture shows members of the club after finishing a race at Tom Brown Park, a popular park in Tallahassee, on October 21st, 2017. Each runner is wearing number bibs to show that they participated in a race. The caption of the picture is “Striders conquered The Race For Readiness this morning. Special shoutout to Lauren, Jack, Lucy, and our advisor John Schwenkler for getting first place in their age groups and Tristen for getting first overall! #whenindoubtstrideitout” The use of hashtags in the caption demonstrates the jokes with running puns among team members. There are multiple comments from club members with emojis of positive connotations. One comment from @bowlingfsu says, “Congrats Striders!” This shows that Seminole Striders has made a place for themselves in the FSU community, so much so that other clubs recognize their success and comment encouraging messages. The use of “shoutouts: in the caption is also used as a way to recognize individual member’s efforts and successes.

The Seminole Striders also has a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1582119225427103/about/), in which they also communicate a community message. Their Facebook page is great away to communicate to other members because of its easy access and ability to private message any member. It also provides a great forum to like or comment on any posts. More importantly, members of the Facebook page are able to receive instant notifications when an “Admin” of the page posts something of importance. An aspect of the Facebook page that I find very appealing to new or potential members is the page’s description. In this section it states,

“-Practice is held Tuesday-Friday at 5:00PM

-Runners of all levels are welcome.

-Instagram: SeminolestridersFSU”

I feel that including that all levels of runners are welcome sends a message of acceptance and shows that the group is not competitive. Although the group’s purpose is for running, finding new members who also have a passion of running is just as important.

Now that I am immersed in the college lifestyle, I find it comforting that I can rely on these groups to remind me of my friends and hometown. Although running is not for everyone, clubs and groups provide a sense of community that is essential for everyone to have.

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

"Catching Kayla." YouTube, uploaded by ESPN, 14 Feb. 2015,www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dvKjPzU39o. Accessed 25 Feb. 2018.

Fernandez, Emma. Personal Interview. February 18 2018.

Hallam, K. T., et al. "Happy Feet": Evaluating the Benefits of a 100-Day 10,000 Step Challenge on Mental Health and Wellbeing." BMC Psychiatry, vol. 18, 24 Jan. 2018, pp. 1-7. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1609-y.

Lee, Duck-chul, et al. "Running as a Key Lifestyle Medicine for Longevity." Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, vol. 60, no. Physical Activity, Exercise and Fitness in Health and Disease, 01 July 2017, pp. 45-55. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2017.03.005.