Running with a running club

One day this week, I joined a neighborhood running club for their training run. 


I was initially worried they would all be fast and a close-knit group and may not welcome a new, slow runner.  It wasn't like that at all.

It was a good turnout, with about 8-9 people. I recognized the group by all the neon colored running clothes and shoes. 😄

People were friendly and chatty and quickly explained the route to me. It was all on pavement and with a few hills, that to my legs felt steep like this:


I started behind them and did run-walk intervals, for 2.8 miles.  Others run more but I was ok with my distance.


At some point, going up on one of the "interminable" hills, in the sun, I was thinking this was quite a first experience with the group!😄

I took the few "trees and flowers" photos on the walking intervals.



We ended the run at a local cafe and I learned more about the club. Some were marathoners but others were almost beginners too, with various fitness levels and training goals. 

I will meet with them again!

Do you prefer running alone or with a group? Do you wear neon colors? 



Comments

  1. Wendy at Taking the Long Way HomeJune 20, 2021 at 5:11 PM

    I prefer to run alone, but i've run with a group many times. There's usually a rule that they all wait for the last runner. It's supposed to be supportive. I'm glad you had a good experience. A lot of runners love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Running With FirefliesJune 21, 2021 at 4:32 PM

      Yeah, it was a great experience! The fact that there were some other newbies certainly helped.

      Delete
  2. KookyRunnerJune 20, 2021 at 6:10 PM

    I've noticed that I now prefer to run alone, especially since I'm not training for a race right now. I do enjoy going for power walks with friends when our schedules allow.

    That being said, I think running in a group can be so beneficial, especially if you're working on speed or doing a long run!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Running With FirefliesJune 21, 2021 at 4:33 PM

      Yeah it was definitely beneficial. I liked the discipline of running in a group setting and also the community aspect of it!

      Delete
  3. Kim at Running on the FlyJune 22, 2021 at 3:43 PM

    Glad you had a great experience! I don’t do much for group runs but I do run with a friend a couple times each week. I love the social aspect of group runs, though I think it’s also beneficial to run alone (just for the sake of learning to be self sufficient).

    ReplyDelete
  4. TeamarciaJune 23, 2021 at 4:03 AM

    I'm so glad your first experience with a running group was a good one! Sounds like a good club! I do wear bright colors because I have to run on some road shoulders and hi-viz is everything in traffic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Running With FirefliesJune 24, 2021 at 12:20 PM

      I was glad they were nice!

      I agree that bright colors are good for running, for safety reasons...plus they look cute!

      Delete

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