More Than Just a Run: Finding Connection in the Early Morning Miles

I’d seen the posts for weeks—popping up on my Instagram feed, promoting a new women’s run club for early-morning runners. My introverted and socially anxious self, ignored them at first. I am an early-morning runner, but this obviously wasn’t for me. The thought of joining a group of women I’d never met was intimidating. But the algorithm knew what it was doing. Each time I saw one of their post-run photos, my curiosity grew. I found myself looking forward to seeing who showed up each week. It did look like a fun group…

Finally, I decided to stop lurking and give it a try. I was tired of running the same roads near my house but didn’t know where else to go that felt safe to explore alone. I told myself I’d go next Wednesday. The alarm went off—I chickened out. 

I gave myself some grace and promised I’d try again the next week. This time, I was going to show up. What was the worst that could happen? It was just a run. I could totally just run. If I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to go again. Wednesday morning came, my alarm went off—I got up, got dressed. I was doing this.

Pulling into the parking lot, I saw the group of women—many of whom I recognized from Instagram—gathered in the corner. I parked. Took a deep breath. No turning back now. Nervous, I walked toward them. One of the women noticed me, smiled, and said, “Hey, are you new?” I nodded. She introduced herself, and stepped aside so I could step into the circle. Just like that, I was welcomed—not just into that circle in the parking lot, but into a community I didn’t know I was missing. I finished that first run feeling proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone, but even more so, I felt encouraged, inspired, and energized in a way I hadn’t expected.

I was expecting the run. The miles. The push up the hills. The sense of safety running with others. What I wasn’t expecting was to find my people—a group of women who build each other up, support one another on hard days, celebrate on the great ones, and show up, no matter what. I look forward each week to catching up, hearing stories that make the miles fly by, and most of all, showing up not just for myself but for the women beside me.

So if you’re like me—watching from the sidelines, wondering if this is for you—I encourage you to take that first step. Join us for a run. If nothing else, you’ll get a safe, solid workout with like-minded women in an area you might not explore alone. At the same time, you just might leave with so much more—a new running friend (or twelve), and a whole group of badass women who genuinely want to see you succeed.

See you Wednesday?

Written by:

Sara Shaff