It was a clear October morning. The weather had finally started to release from summer’s sweltering grasp into a briskness that felt like fall. I wasn’t used to waking up this early to run. I set my alarm for 6 a.m. (a time that would later feel like sleeping in on Saturdays and would soon become reserved for my weekly long run). I quietly tip-toed out of the house and into my car. I drove about 20 minutes to meet a crowd of strangers for my first ever group run. Would I be able to keep up? Would they be nice? Could I really do this? Lots of thoughts were swirling through my head as I pulled into the parking lot where runners in florescent tops and colorful shoes were gathered together.

“Hi, I’m Jesica. I emailed with you last week,” I chirped to a woman who looked like she was in charge. She introduced me to a group of people who were planning to run the same pace I thought would be comfortable for me, and off we went. I was surprised at how easily I fell in line with the group and how friendly people were. A man who was a little younger than my dad started chatting with me. I soon knew all about his running journey and what he was currently training for. I was the only one who had never run a half marathon or marathon, and I was a sponge soaking up their energy and knowledge. Although I felt like an outsider on that first meeting, I instantly knew there was something special about running with other people.

Those strangers soon became friends. We ran every Tuesday and Saturday together for nearly five years. We pushed each other, cheered each other along, planned races together and were always game to sit in a Starbucks for an hour after conquering a 21-mile run. Those strangers gave me a gift that changed my life. They showed me the power that comes from relationships built through long distance running. They also showed me that together, we can do anything we set our hearts and minds to.

This past weekend was no different as I gathered together with nine other women in the mountains of Vermont for the second annual Rise.Run.Retreat. I was reminded, once again, why I run and why I love running. It is the sense of community we share. It is strangers who almost instantly become friends. It is the common understanding we have where no one really needs to explain themselves because we already know what they are going through, both the highs and the lows.

When you cover miles together, you share something that you may never share with your closest friends and family who don’t run long distances. It sounds so dramatic, but that’s because it is. These friendships and relationships have propelled me to do some things with my body that I never thought were possible and achieve goals that seemed way out of reach. They have profoundly changed my life. And I may never have found them if I hadn’t gotten up at 6 a.m. on that October day in 2009 and driven to meet the group of strangers in a Starbucks parking lot.

Fast-forward to 2014. My dear friend Sarah and I (someone I also met through running) were in the car driving to meet another group of strangers at a running conference in Savannah, Georgia. We both agreed that we wished we could bottle up the inspiration that comes from being with such strong and powerful runners who make us better. We wanted to find a way to connect in person more often, to experience the power that comes from the connectedness of sharing a love of running. She said, we need to host a running retreat. I said, I’m in.

That vision is now a reality with Rise.Run.Retreat. She and I host 10-15 female runners in inspiring locations each fall for an intimate weekend of running and fitness. But what it’s really about is the laughter, the conversation, the bonding that happens when it’s way past our bedtime and we can’t pull ourselves off the couch to stop talking.

I will share all the details with you in the coming days, like the great things we learned from nutrition and strength training sessions we hosted. I’ll tell you about the half marathon we ran (well, I spectated at 26 weeks pregnant of course, but I did run about 11 total miles during the weekend). I’ll show you the meals we cooked and the swag we gave everyone and the funny moments we shared.

But for now, I’m simply going to relish in the friendships that ignite my spirit that only come when you run together … when you travel down the road side by side on a journey to do things that shouldn’t be possible. These women are my role models and my sole sisters. These women are what running is all about.

You can find the women who inspire me and who attended Rise.Run.Retreat. here:

• Allie from VitaTrain4Life
• Angela from Happy Fit Mama
• Christine from Love.Life.Surf.
• Kara from One Redhead and Lighthouses
• Laura from This Runner’s Recipes
• Natalie from Nat Runs Far
• Sandra from Organic Runner Mom
• Sarah from Run Far Girl
• Sue from This Mama Runs for Cupcakes

If you’d like to learn more about Rise.Run.Retreat., visit our Web site and scroll to the bottom of our home page to sign up for our email list. We will send you updates on our 2017 retreat and details on how you can join us for next year’s event.

How have the relationships you’ve developed through running changed you? Give a shout out to anyone special in your life you’ve met through running.