The Running Thread --2025

[michigandergirl]

QOTD: Do you belong to a local running club?? If so, what made you decide to join and what do you like about it?

I am really struggling with motivation lately. For the first time in 10 years, I have no races on my schedule. The few friends I used to run with are no longer running anymore for various reasons and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my lack of motivation. One of the big running clubs in GR is having a meetup near me tomorrow for potential new members and I'm thinking about going. Maybe joining will help me get excited about running and races again.

 

[RuntheMouse]

ATTQOTD: I am not part of a running club. I have MAJOR imposter syndrome when it comes to running so I like training alone. I do envy those that don’t struggle with that because I bet it would be a great way to meet people!

I think you should go to the meetup at least, it seems like it might be a missing piece for you and if it isn’t a good fit, you can bail.

 

[The Expert]

ATTQOTD: Nope. I was briefly part of a very small chapter of Badass Lady Gang in Salt Lake pre-pandemic, but the main organizer moved out of state and we just kind of stopped meeting. I tried a few other groups there and always got left behind, so stopped trying. When I moved to Vermont two years ago, I looked up a few local groups, but despite claiming they are pace-inclusive, Strava stalking their activities tells me nobody really runs slower than about a 10-minute mile. I'm fine running on my own, so while a group might be a nice change now and then, FOR ME it isn't worth the social anxiety or stress of being the slowest one there (by a lot).

That said, I do think if there was a dedicated meet-up for potential new members like what you're describing @michigandergirl I would go. The idea of not being the only newbie and potentially finding out if I fit without the pressure of an actual run would be nice.

 

[GollyGadget]

QOTD: Do you belong to a local running club?? If so, what made you decide to join and what do you like about it?

I am really struggling with motivation lately. For the first time in 10 years, I have no races on my schedule. The few friends I used to run with are no longer running anymore for various reasons and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my lack of motivation. One of the big running clubs in GR is having a meetup near me tomorrow for potential new members and I'm thinking about going. Maybe joining will help me get excited about running and races again.

I'm also not part of a run club but I definitely think you should at least check it out if it works for your schedule.

I have yet to find a group that has an easy pace slower than 9 min /mi and if I'm just going to get dropped, I prefer to run when it's more convenient to me.

 

[col1]

ATTQOTD : I am not a member of a running group however I do have it as one of my running goals for the future. I am quite introverted but try to push myself out of my comfort zone. There is a couple of groups near me but at the moment like others have said my lack of pace is keeping me from joining.

I had a friend I used to run with more than a decade ago now who was about the age I am now and in his 30s and 40s had been the owner of a 2.39 marathon time. He would always tell me I should join and do what he did when he started was just find a pace group that was faster than him and try to hang on !! Worked for him but I haven’t had the courage to try it

 

[nancipants]

QOTD: Do you belong to a local running club?? If so, what made you decide to join and what do you like about it?

I am really struggling with motivation lately. For the first time in 10 years, I have no races on my schedule. The few friends I used to run with are no longer running anymore for various reasons and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my lack of motivation. One of the big running clubs in GR is having a meetup near me tomorrow for potential new members and I'm thinking about going. Maybe joining will help me get excited about running and races again.

ATTQOTD: I don't belong to a local run club. I prefer to run alone just because of scheduling. Also, I'm slow and would have imposter syndrome/anxiety about not being able to keep pace. However, for long runs on the weekend, I wouldn't mind finding a running partner (or several), but have no idea how to go about that!

I do like being a part of this board and following other groups on social media (Rise and Run, Pelkey Run Club, Crowned Crew, Sparkle Squad, etc.) as a way to meet people during runDisney events.

 

[rick1zoo2]

ATTQOTD: Not part of a local club. Unless you count my wife making me run, then I guess you could say I am in her club...

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: I'm not part of any group. Mostly because I'm fine running on my own, there's nothing close to me (I am not interested in driving 30+ min to someplace else to run when I can just go out the door) But also, when I'm training for something, I'm looking to run my workouts, not what a group might be up to even if it did happen to meet on a day that worked for me. Also, the age/pace thing--by now, I've slowed down enough that I doubt it would work, and also, I am in an age group where there aren't as many runners. Maybe in a bigger metropolitan area, but honestly, Detroit is not really a running mecca.

That said, I'm looking to move back to Boston area, and I would be interested in finding a group of older runners. I saw a group in Central Park before I did the NYC that were from Boston....now if I can just remember enough of their name to search!

But what have you got to lose to check it out. Could be worth it, and if it isn't you haven't really lost anything.

 

[pluto377]

ATTQOTD: Not part of a running group. I really enjoy running alone. I've thought about joining my local one because I'd like to make a friend or two, but I know I'm way too slow.

 

[dobball23]

ATTQOTD: I am not part of a running club. I like to run on my own schedule. But I see a lot of the same people running each day, so in a way we have our own club!

 

[camaker]

ATTQOTD: We have a very active running group in my little town. They host group runs most days of the week. I tried joining them a couple of times, but it was very clear that it didn't work for me. I want to run when I want, where I want and at the pace I want. It was just too much work running with them. I tend to be pretty solitary by nature, though.

 

[KCO5988]

ATTQOTD: Not a running club, but I have a group of coworkers that I run at lunch with. Some days we have a big group (by big I mean like 5 haha), some days there's only 2 of us. My town has a couple run groups but they meet at like 6pm and that's when I'm doing dinner and bedtime routine for my two kids. Maybe when the kids are older.

 

[ckb_nc]

May was 62 miles of running, 300 biking. Finished May with a 5k race sub 30 minutes which was a chore.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: add me to Team No-Clubs--I'm out in the middle of nowhere-ish, and even if I could find a group that wasn't a 20+ minute drive from me, I'm sure they'd be faster than I am. I can see the appeal of a group from an accountability standpoint, but the logistics of location and speed, plus the fact that I'm fairly introverted, just don't work for me.

 

[Guidman]

ATTQOTD: I joined a running club in 2014, the organization that runs the marathon started one. I joined on a whim just to try it out, but the Saturday long runs became a staple. Covid brought that one to an end but some members started up another one (City of Bridges Run Club). I love it. I'll do my weekday runs by myself but having a group for a long run on the weekend is really enjoyable to me. Meeting new people and always getting to try out new routes has been great. There's a definite sense of support with everyone. We'll get 250 to over 300 people during the leadup to the Pittsburgh Marathon. Pace groups from 7:30 to run/walk and there's dedicated water stops throughout the routes.

If you live a fairly sized metropolitan area, there's probably be one or more run clubs. I'd certainly recommending just trying it out to see if it works for you. Being part of one has been beneficial to my own personal running. I for sure enjoy the catharsis of a solo run but being with others is fun and makes the miles go by quicker.



May Running
76.4 miles
Highs and lows this month. My Achillies started being a little twitchy about a week before the Pittsburgh Half, nothing painful but more of an annoyance. Felt pretty good race morning and was holding fine through the first 6.5-7 at pace (6:45-6:50) then I started to feel a heavy pressure back there. It stated making it tough to toe off. I got passed by the 3-hour pacer near mile 9 and by mile 11, which is all up a bridge, I was basically reeled back to jog to the finish. Finished in 1:32:57. I had a few painful runs over the next two weeks and now I've been off it totally for 10 days. Still had a blast and fun time during the half, always one of my favorite weekends of the year.

Plus, they brought back the fireworks this year:

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[Fe Kitty]

ATTQOTD: I too am currently among the run alone group, though I do follow Front Runners group in Pittsburgh and looking to enjoy a run with them and I'll have to check out the "City of Bridges Run Club" when I get back in the Burgh @Guidman (congrats on a fun run and a great time).

After running during HS and college in groups or with buddies, I think I started to enjoy running alone and enjoying my music playlists. I wanted to join one previously in a small college town we lived in, but all the groups were centered around bars or breweries.... I'm almost 6 years sober, so after running beers aren't my thing.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
I do run with a run club. I first joined a group when I trained for my first half marathon - through a running store. I pretty much ran by myself since I didn’t know anyone, but it did provide a time and place to meet and get my runs in and know that others were out there too - which I needed. That store was eventually bought by Fleet Feet, which introduced pace groups. That’s when I started to really get to know others in my pace group - and actually in other groups too.
COVID pretty much ended that group, or it is/was a lot smaller when it did come back. The pace groups really solidified people in their own paces and helped them continue on their own.
The people that I continued to run with were made up of several different paces, and some of us merged into the local city ‘run club’. This run club organizes three runs a week. It really is made up of a lot of different paces -1:30 halfers to 3:00 halfers. I generally just join the Saturday runs - since I like doing my week day runs in the morning. I generally run by myself (especially since I switched to run/walk and because I sometimes have my own workouts that might not be strictly long run pace), but I like to talk to people before and know people are out there - and if we happen to do an out and back - giving high fives or encouragement as we pass others.
I’m also part of another group - An all women’s group. Before COVID people would post ‘events’ for others to join regular runs, now, that doesn’t happen as often, but if someone is looking for people to run with, they will post that, and others will chime in with options - That’s how we have gained some others in our early runs.

 

[Dopey 2020]

ATTQOTD team no club, there is one nearby but they meet over half an hour from me and usually run in evenings. I prefer to run alone and when I want, usually early mornings

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
There is a large running club a 30-40min drive from me, so that's not an option for obvious reasons. (Plus I think they have a "membership" fee or something.)

Locally, there are a few people who get together to run once a week and then go to a local brewery. A mom-friend of mine went a couple of times last year and stopped going because she was the slowest one there, and a few other members were joking around that "oh we're really slow, we're probably only going to run 10min miles" and I have 0 interest in joining in on that. This isn't to imply that they meant it in a malicious or rude/mean way, but the fact that 10min miles is considered very slow for this group means that I would be running by myself anyway.

 

[Disney at Heart]

ATTQOTD: Not part of a local club. Unless you count my wife making me run, then I guess you could say I am in her club...

Like you two, DH and I run together. Sometimes he makes me run; sometimes I make him run. Our “club” is small, but effective in keeping to the schedule!!