Group vs. Solo Running

Group photo from Social Running's Facebook Page!

Hi everyone!

So I have been upping my mileage the last couple weeks and this last week was my first week of running five days out of the week! I was thinking running the same course in my local park might be monotonous. And now that I'm officially a member of my local running club, I figured I would take advantage of the social runs that they host and recommend!

So Tuesday, I joined three fellow runners downtown for some hill repeats. The hill we ran up and down had a serious incline...much higher than my treadmill! I had a really great workout with them. Hill repeats are much easier when you have someone to chase! We all got along well for sure and met a fellow Disney fan. It was fun listening to everyone talk about their past race experience, upcoming races planned, what they did for a living...all that good stuff! I loved the break from my normal running routine and appreciated the company for sure!

Wednesday, Jared got to come with me to our first large social run. Also downtown, there were about 100 people that met up at the local food truck park and took off on a four mile out and back course down the riverside and back. While my introvert seriously came out and I didn't get to meet many new people, it was really fun to see the diversity of runners. There were moms with strollers, people with dogs (us included!), fast runners, slow runners, runners that sit on rocks (haha). There was a camaraderie that made the finish feel like the finish line at a race with people cheering you on as you came to the food truck park! We all gathered for a group photo at the end. Many people stayed for a beer and food. We opted out for our pocketbook's sake. I see this Wednesday routine being a really great way for me to meet new friends locally!

So the question is, which is better...group running or solo running? While I think there is something to be said for solo running and the need to be able to find it within yourself to keep going when things get hard, group running definitely helps breaks the monotony of training. While you still get your miles in, you can get your mind off the training on easy runs and meet new people. So I say both...I'm an "and" kind of person! If you get a chance to try group training in your local area, I highly suggest it!