A tale of two running clubs

I have a relationship with two different running clubs. It is kind of a long story but I will try to explain.

There is one club that I run with that meets near Osaka castle every Wednesday night. The training is great. We usually do a 15K tempo run. A tempo run is a run at a hard pace but slower than race pace. It is a run that I can't really do alone because it is difficult to get to that level of intensity by yourself. The problem with this group is that they kind of ignore me. Of course they will run with me but in the meeting room where we meet before running, there is very little interaction. I watch them with other new members and they are quite open. They invite the new member to other runs/activities etc. But for me they don't really say much. They will answer questions but never initiate them. The impression I have gotten many times from them is that they don't want me there. I have quit that group several times but the head of the club has called me and invited me back. But when I get there it is always the same. For example one time only myself and the head of the club were there. When it was time to go the the starting place he just took off and left me. Another time I saw the team leader in a restaurant right after the run. He was with a friend. He looked at me laughed and walked away. This past week I returned after a long time away. I decided the benefit to my running was greater than the uncomfortable time I spend withe them. When I got there they were quite warm. I don't know how long this will last but for now I will take advantage of the good training and ignore the fact that they are ignoring me.

I would guess it sounds kind of immature/insecure that I am worried about being ignored. My only response is that is is quite uncomfortable to be with a group when you are not sure if you should really be there.

My other group is also in Osaka. I had a very similar experience with them. I did some races and workouts with them over a period of a couple of years. My experience was that each time I ran with them was like the first time they had ever me them. There was no developing friendships, no improved communication, just many one way conversations. I ask a question, they respond, I ask another question, shorter response.....long uncomfortable silence..I walk away. I did this for a couple of years and after telling myself each time that I would never do it again I really quit. One day the club president called me and asked why I didn't come to his club activities anymore. I honestly told him that it was too uncomfortable. I said it was not a pleasant experience to be with a large group of people when you are clearly on the outside. He seemed to understand but wanted me to give it another try.

He said if I was with them more often and for a longer period of time things would change. I have been in Japan a long time and I have heard that before many times. But I decided to give it another attempt. I am now going to most of their activities and staying after runs to eat with them. Before the idea of spending more time with them after a very uncomfortable few hours was the last thing I wanted to do. But it seems to be going better. And from a selfish perspective it is very good for both my Japanese language and my running. Whenever we are together we are 100% in Japanese and they get me into many races that would be inaccessible by myself so I am clearly benefitting from the relationship even though it is uncomfortable at times.

Two wins in two weeks

It has definitely been a successful two weeks. Last weekend I ran an ekiden with one of my running clubs. Each person on our team ran 3K, so the total distance was 5x3k=15k. I ran lead off, my favorite position. I think going first is best because you can see who you are racing against. In the later legs you might never see your opponent. I ran a pretty good leg, I think I was 2nd or 3rd in my division and the rest of the team brought us into 1st place for our second win in two years.

This past weekend I ran a 5k along the Yodo river. Every third Sunday one of my clubs has an old-school race along the river bank. It is old-school because it is how I picture races were, back in the 60's before the running boom hit. There are very few bells and whistles, just simple races in the park along the banks of the river. When I lined up to start the race I took a quick look at my fellow runners and had a good idea that I would win and thankfully I did. Honestly just by looking at people you can often, not always, tell how fast they will be. At 49 it is great to win a race even a low-key race like that.