Group running can be useful and we have found it useful over the years to co-ordinate training plans for people who are training towards the same or similar goals. A training group might run together for every run or it may be that they only meet up for one or two sessions a week. In some instances we will co-ordinate with your local running clubs schedule. Group runs are useful for safety, accountability and they’re often fun socials. We will always do our best to accommodate requests to do group runs.
Don’t sacrifice your training
BUT and this is a big BUT, do not sacrifice your own training session just for the sake of hanging with your friends. If you have a coach then you’re serious about your running, take your coach and the work they put in seriously. Run to the schedule in your program, not your friends schedule. Run to the pace, heart rate, power target or effort level in YOUR program. Do the intervals prescribed for the workout NOT the running clubs intervals. Every run in your program has a purpose and all the runs together stack up to help you meet your long term goals. Stick to the program consistently, execute what’s been prescribed and if you want your coach to accommodate group sessions then talk to them and be very clear about what the group will be doing. Sometimes we will advise that you only do some of the group runs and at other times we will advise against group runs for a period or not at all if your goals and the groups goals are completely misaligned.
Agree on the goals
Lastly make sure that anyone in your group is committed to the same goals and that they are committed to execute every session in a positive fashion. It’s ok to suffer together and share the suffering it’s not ok if members of a group are slowing you down or holding you back. If you want to socialise, do it after, not during a workout.
When you are planning your year or next training phase with your coach, let them know about your group running plans so that you can, together, work out how best to accommodate the group sessions.
