In the town where I live, we have this great sports facility with multiple soccer fields, a skate park, a basketball court, a sports hall and a tartan track.
As a runner, I obviously mostly use the last one. But the thing I enjoy most about it is the environment it’s in.
Since this facility is open to the public, there is a diverse group of people exercising there almost every time.
Young and old, teams that have a training session, kids who are just playing and individuals who are stretching or running laps around the track.
It’s just a very contagious feeling seeing all of them when you enter the facility and start running your laps as well.
For the longest time, I was convinced that running could only be fun if you’re fully out in nature and try to cover as many different streets and paths as possible.
That’s not the case anymore: Turns out, running in circles can also be very enjoyable, provided the atmosphere fits.
And let me tell you, being on the track with maybe one or two other runners during sunset while you hear a soccer team train on the field next to it and someone trying out new tricks in the skate park is a very cool and motivating atmosphere.
The sense of belonging to a bigger group of people that you don’t even know but that match your energy.
It’s the place where athletes meet.