Training with a Community

“Power of the pack”, “there is no I in team”, “stronger together”, there are hundreds of go to sayings and quotes about how powerful a community can be. But do you ever stop to really think about? To think about the community that you have, or don’t have, and how this impacts your training and lifestyle.

I trained for my first marathon in 2015. I did 100% of my training sessions solo. I was at a stage in my life where I was not surrounded by other runners, I was “the runner” amongst my friends, and I took on the London Marathon as a challenge for myself. 

Like any training block, I learned a lot. Mainly, the true importance of discipline, especially on those dark and raining mornings and evenings in London. But my learning was essentially capped at a point. Because there was no one to lean on, to ask questions, or to hear experience and advice from. It was just me and my running shoes, daily. 

I crossed the finish line of the London Marathon, and I was within my self-selected time goal. Big tick. But I felt an overwhelming sense of nothing. I was obviously shattered, but there was no one to turn to with the shared experience. Yes, my family and friends were all eagerly waiting for me to commence celebrations, but we were on a different page. They had been watching from the sidelines, they were not in the thick of it. 

As the years have ticked by, I have realised the importance of training with a community. I have used running communities to meet people when I have moved to new cities or countries, and I have used them to help me structure my own week and training. 

Fast forward a bit more, and I now fully embrace the community side of training and even head up Ladies Run Club within InnerFight Endurance.

You don’t need to be the fastest runner, or be training for a race in order to benefit from a community. It can simply be your motivation to get a session in. It can be social and totally noncompetitive. Although most people discover they can actually work harder in a group setting. 

So, the next time you lace up and head out for a run, ask yourself if you might have a bit more fun by joining someone else, or an already established group. 

You might even find yourself on a start line of a race, surrounded by running communities who come together for the day. When you feel this around you, it’s electric.