5 Reasons to Train with a Running Group {at Charm City Run}

This post was originally published on the Charm City Run blog. Head over there to check out more great blog posts talking about running shoes and gear, training tips, inspiration, and stories from the running community in Maryland.

With the arrival of summer, comes the start of training for fall race season. Training through a hot and humid summer in Baltimore takes guts, and some days it can be tough to get out the door for a run. Charm City Run offers many training groups throughout the summer from 5K to full marathon and beyond. In the age of the internet when anyone can google a training plan for any distance, I think that in-person training groups offer so much more than a plan. Here are 5 reasons why YOU should train with Charm City Run.

1. ACCOUNTABILITY.

For some people, paying money for a group alone makes them more accountable to showing up and committing to the plan. It is also easier to get dressed and out of bed before 7:00am on a Saturday morning knowing you have a group of people waiting for you to run together. Aside from the sign-in sheet, everyone notices when someone hasn’t shown up to a workout. The group becomes a tribe or family of runners, especially with longer distance groups.

2. OTHER RUNNERS WILL PUSH YOU.

When running by yourself, it can be harder to push or pace yourself. Running with other people allows you to challenge yourself to finish tough workouts that may seem scary at the start. Running with people in your training group also allows you to stick with others of a similar pace which usually helps you learn to pace yourself more evenly. I also find I will push my pace a little more when completing workouts with others which allows me to become a better runner. And, if your running group buddy says they are running X distance, you’ll probably try to stick with them and run X distance as well even if you weren’t feeling great at the start of the run

3.FRIENDSHIP.

I always tell anyone who moves to the city to join a training group to meet people! I trained for my first marathon with Charm City Run right after I moved downtown. I didn’t know any runners before, and by the end of the group I had made so many friends including a handful of close ones.  You and your training group members will bond over the tough workouts, a really hot long run, or the weird and funny things seen on the run. Something I’ve found true in life is that I can find more out about a person from running with them for an hour, than I could in any other setting!

4. YOUR GROUP WILL BECOME YOUR CHEER SQUAD.

It is awesome to finish a run to a bunch of sweaty high-fives or maybe even some hugs. It is nice to have people to cheer you through the last repeat of a track workout or finish strides of your longest run yet. On race day, your squad will be there to support you.

 5. IT IS A SPACE TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING RUNNING.

No topic is off limits with your coach, store employees, and fellow trainees. You can ask about that nagging pain in your calf and get some suggestions of what to do. You can talk about the GI distress you had during the run. You can ask questions and learn about fueling for runs, hydration, and stretching. It is a space where people WANT to talk about all things running, races, and gear! It is not weird or annoying or silly!

The full marathon and Charles Street 12 training groups start this weekend (June 16th) at all Charm City Run stores. Half marathon, 5K, and other distances will start later in this summer. Check out all the information on upcoming training groups on the Charm City Run website. Just show up, and see what it’s all about!

Have you trained with a training group before? Do you prefer training solo or with others?