Running alone can sometimes feel like a strenuously fruitless chore, with improvements of fitness and speed hard to come by. At the same time running is probably one of the easiest and cheapest ways to lose weight and improve health, it’s just trainers on and go with minimal fuss. As easy as I made that sound, the harsh reality is it is highly mentally and physically challenging especially when you 1st start, the lungs are burning and your legs are screaming obscenities at you. At if that isn’t the case then you are probably not pushing yourself enough, therefore not achieving anything and soon becoming disheartened.
Those of you working in central London by the Thames will at lunch time see the runners amass on the banks as they go on their lunchtime jogs. Now even though it may appear that these runners are alone, believe me they’re not and speaking from experience there is no more motivational feeling than seeing other runners on your route. I tend to use the person in front of me as a target to go past and then move on to the next target in front of that and so forth. You’ll be surprised how much quicker or further you run when you change your focus away from the pain. One step on from that is the fast growing trend manifesting itself around us and that is the emergence of running clubs, a community of mixed level runners and keep fitters who pound away at the pavements or parks together in order to reap all the great benefits that running brings. Running in a group is a great motivational tool like having your own cheer squad with everyone pushing each other and providing morale boosts on days when you may be feeling less than 100%. Also being a member is not all about joining a group of runners but a social network of like minded fitness enthusiasts with a similar goal and being part of a team.
How do I find my nearest running club?
Chances are you’ve seen them and didn’t even bat an eyelid, but now with the new found awareness look out for groups in your nearest parks or using the wonderful world of the internet you’ll easily be able to locate one. You’re probably a stone’s throw away from your nearest running club. Failing that set up your own, gather a group of friend’s together, map out a route and off you go, instantly half the workload by running in a group. With websites like http://www.mapmyrun.com/ and http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk you can easily map a distance specific route.
I was once a lone runner and would have days where I felt unmotivated so I done just that and set up my own running club the STONEiMAGE Runners. We do weekly runs of 5-10km and have a mixed level bunch of runners, we’ve even gone a few steps further, having running kit, entering road races and benefitting from discounts at local health and running stores. If you’re based in Central London and interested email runners@stone-img.com and visit us on twitter @STRunners_uk.
Written by Erron Dussard of STONEiMAGE
Follow him on Twitter @Stoneimage
