We don't do it because it's easy, we do it because it's hard. I thought this just came to me in a dream but apparently JFK just speaks to me in my delirium of long runs, lol:
Today I ran with my run group for the first time in a long time. Over the past few weeks, my travel schedule has been a bit hectic so I've been out of town on the weekends, I've been sick, and I've been out late Saturday nights (read: still drunk Sunday morning). The Houston half rejuvenated me a bit, so I was determined to run with the group today. I'm so glad I did. I ran over 19.5 miles and as always it was so much easier because of them.
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| My run group bright and early! |
For my first marathon I was so excited about accomplishing my marathon goal that the increasing mileage itself was enough to stay motivated. How exciting to go longer than I'd ever gone before every weekend. I had to take walk breaks sometimes, which was new for me, but I was able to complete 16 miles without stopping and that was enough to get through the race with a good time. The second marathon, I realized I was lacking in the motivation department. I needed some help. I talked to my runner friend about how to find a running partner (she doesn't run the same pace that I do) and she directed me to two FREE running groups in Austin. I started running with one of them last year (Hill Country Running Co).
I've found that run groups have some advantages and disadvantages. When I first joined my group my biggest worry was the amount of stopping we did. On my solo long runs, I carry a water pack of some sort because I have to in order to have water. The run group sets up water along the course, so you don't run on the go, you stop at the water stations and refuel. People tend to stop and chat and catch their breath for a minute, which I wasn't used to doing. In the races I run through the water stations, drinking as I go, for as long as I can, so mentally it's nice to do the training runs without stopping too. Not going to happen on a group run. The good thing is you don't have to carry water :o).
Another disadvantage is pace. On a solo run you run however fast or slow you feel like running. If I want to slow down, I slow down. If I want to push my pace, I do. I walk when I want to walk, and I stop when I want to stop. When you run with a group (or a partner), you have to think about other people. I will usually break off and just finish at the end, but those tough middle miles, you have to wait for (or try not to slow down) other runners. It's a courtesy thing. There are days where you will feel like you can't go any faster and your partners will help you through. So on the days you're feeling strong it just feels right to return the favor. Fortunately the long runs are more about distance than pace, so often I'm more happy to get the miles in comfortably (relatively speaking) than I am worried about pace. I'd rather slow down or speed up a little and run 20 miles with a group than trudge through them alone.
The distance covered can be an issue too. I usually follow training plans I find online even though the group has it's own training plan. This is largely because the group training is slightly aggressive in my opinion and I am generally not ready to run the distances they run initially. They also build up their distance faster than I like to (I prefer smaller jumps in the long run mileage from week to week). So sometimes the group is running 20 miles but I'm only ready to run 14. I've been able to work around this by running with the half marathoners in the early runs when my mileage is closer to theirs. In the later runs, I usually start with them and then add on a few miles to cover the additional distance I need to. I may have to run by myself for 5-10 miles but it's better than running alone for the entire thing.
Start time is a good thing and a bad thing. The group starts between 6:30 and 7:00 am. I like to go out so in previous years I wouldn't drink on Saturday nights (or I'd stop drinking by 7:00 pm or so). This was kind of a drag, especially when my partner was in town. Last night I went to a friend's birthday party. I had one drink and came home early. So the group does impact your Saturday night if you tend to drink or stay out late. The good thing is, because we start out so early, we finish early. During the week, I sometimes put off running for so long that I don't finish my running (and start my day) til mid morning. As the long run mileage increases it's really nice to be forced to get up and get it going. We're usually done by noon. In the warmer months this is especially nice since we mostly avoid the direct sun and the hottest part of the day.
Overall run groups are great. They make 20 miles a little easier less hard :o).
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