The story behind Larähna

Larähna - The Concept

When I started running (secretly, back in school), I didn't know any runners, I didn't know where I could go for advice, and I was probably too shy to seek advice anyway. 

I used to run in an ancient pair of running shoes with holes in the toes and the tread completely worn smooth. They were about half a size too small for me and were hand-me-downs from my big brother (and possibly my mum before that). I don't remember having any issues with them, but I do remember the first time I went for a wintery, rainy day run. The first icy puddle I splooshed into sent metaphorical ice shards through to the bone! But, that would have happened in fancy new shoes too.

Directly before my first regional cross country meet, I ate the biggest chicken burger my school canteen had to offer, because I thought I needed the energy. Needless to say, I had a stitch in the first kilometer.

I didn't have a running watch (did they even exist back then?), or running apps on my mobile phone, so I don't know the distance or elevation of the daily loop I used to do. I guessed it was around 5 km and possibly 80 m elevation - but if it's not on Strava did it even happen!?

Long story short, there was a lot I didn't know.  I have picked up lots of tips and tricks along the way through experience, reading online articles and blogs, but mostly through talking to other runners (especially runners with a lot more experience than me). There are many questions starting out we might be too shy to ask (for example, mid-race toilet-related emergencies) but I have found that the experienced runners I have sat down with have been only too happy to share their stories, and do so with a good amount of humour. 

The value of having a good crew of runners around us (physical or virtual) is immeasurable, and that is the reason behind the Larähna Global Running Community. The goal is to connect more experienced runners with those newer to the sport so that knowledge and experience can be exchanged, "silly" questions can be asked (there are no silly questions by the way) and goals, achievements and challenges can be shared.

Larähna - The Name

Coming up with a name is HARD! Initially, I planned for this to be a community for women runners and I wanted to have something like"Runner Girl" or "The Runner" that wasn't already in use. I decided to use 'La', the Spanish definite article in the feminine, and play with the spelling of 'runner'.
'La rana' means 'the frog' in Spanish - not quite what I was going for - so I made it a longer "ah" sound and then added the umlaut (the 'a' with the two dots) for something different.

I want this community to be welcoming and inclusive. Once I had the idea down on paper I realised having a 'women only' running community is not at all inclusive. So I quickly pivoted from "women's running community" to "Global running community". 

This is a space for all who identify as a runner, and those who maybe don't yet identify as a runner (but will soon).
The Facebook group has been set up to ask questions, share stories, set goals, achieve goals, celebrate the wins (even the small ones) and support each other through the challenges.

Thank you for connecting, welcome, and happy running!