I would not say I am very athletic or physically fit, so Running Hour was something that was definitely out of my comfort zone in that sense. It was also out of my comfort zone because I had to interact with other people; my social skills are, at best, really lacking. In the beginning, I felt very much out of my depth and especially more so when I got separated from my friend, who I was relying on for support. Near the end, I still felt like I could’ve done more to create more conversation and be more engaging but I think I managed to do well in building a foundation for the relationship between my partner and I.
The target group for Running Hour were disabled people (intellectually or visually, as the service description says) and the elderly. It reminded me a bit of Evergreen because a part of the service’s goal was to try and make bonds with the people there. It’s different by the fact that I’m not only talking with them and doing indoor activities, but also running and walking laps.
During the service I’ve noticed some aspects I could improve on, mainly my physical health. Running Hour is not only about socialization but also about exercise and keeping fit, and keeping fit means pushing yourself to do more. And some of the participants didn’t want to do that. I feel that it is hard to try and motivate your partner to keep on jogging or running when you yourself are out of breath. There isn’t much that I can do in this aspect other than try to improve my stamina over time. It’s possible that I can try and make this a common ground and make a connection with my partner and try to push both of us to do better physically.
This weakness isn’t new or unexpected but it is very noticeable. I found, and will probably continue for some time, it difficult to start or continue a conversation. However, I did manage to get friendly enough to my partner in this session and managed to keep up a conversation for half a loop, and I do know more about her now. Hopefully, as I continue to go to Running Hour, I will learn more about the people there and manage to find more topics to approach.
In relation to that, I also found myself being unable to find ways to motivate my partner to work out. I don’t often like to feel like I’m being overbearing and that usually means I end up being a pushover. I think next time I should try to be a bit more firm and keep attempting to get my partner to continue jogging for a couple more laps and to participate in the exercises done after the loops. I’m thinking of asking her to set her own goal and trying to get her to achieve it. For example, Mr Jacobson wanted her to do six laps today but she wanted to do only two. However, in the end, she ended up only running one lap and walking the other four. I believe by asking her to set her own goals, she feels motivated and pushed to reach it and the sense of accomplishment will push her to setting higher goals instead of keeping things easy.
