Benefits of Group Running
If you’re a regular runner, chances are, you’ve trained alone, at least some of the time. You may be a bit skeptical about running in a group, especially if you’ve never done it. Well, there’s a reason for you to try…running in a group has great benefits that will affect all areas of your life and fitness. Not only can it make you a better runner, but if you are like most people, it will you to run faster and for greater distances. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the benefits of group running. So, here goes…
Greater Accountability: If you run in a group, you will be accountable to others, especially if you want to skip that run. When there are others counting on you, you are more likely to show up. One of the biggest reasons that people give up on running, is because of lack of accountability.
Greater Consistency: It’s important to be regular and consistent when it comes to your daily or weekly run. Having a regular running group means that you stick with your running, whatever the day or week or season…even if it’s in the middle of winter.
Increased Motivation: Running with a group is incredibly motivating because there is always someone faster and better than you. This will motivate you and encourage you to work hard. Also, when you run in a group, all the members know what the others are going through and will boost their confidence and motivate them to run at their best pace.
Learning from Others: Group running is also a great way to learn tips and tricks from others. In fact, some running groups even offer formal coaching or classes. Others simply offer a time, location and other people. If you run in a group, it’s impossible not to learn from the group’s wisdom.
Improved Performance: Everyone thrives on a little healthy competition. When you’re running with others who are encouraging you to run faster and harder, you can take your running to the next level. When running alone you may be tempted to cut your run short, but when you run with others, you will literally go that extra mile.
Improved Safety: It’s much safer to run with a group. When you run with a group you are less likely to listen to music while running and so, will not be distracted by cars or other hazards. Also, if someone in the group gets injured or sick, there are other people to help.
Social Facilitation: This is a term in social psychology, which means, “an improvement in performance produced by the mere presence of others.” If you are like most runners, you will get caught up in the pace and will not even realize that you are running faster and harder than you typically do. Running with other people creates an excitement that propels you to run faster than you thought you could on your own.
Creative Stimulation: Many runners do quite a bit of brainstorming when they’re running alone. However, if you run in a group, you can get your creative juices flowing much more than if you were running solo. You can easily bounce ideas off other people and ask for feedback for a problem or project that you are working on.
Career Benefits: While the golf course is often the place to seal new business deals, running isn’t far behind. Running with other people, such as your co-workers, clients, or boss is a great way to network without being too obtrusive. Meeting new people through running is a great way to expand your professional network, and even land that perfect new job or business opportunity.
Expanding your Social Circle: If you run in a group, chances are, you’ll get to meet people with similar interests. Many people have even met their spouse through a running group. You can also meet potential close friends when running in a group.
So, now you know the benefits of group running. At Super Jock ‘n Jill, we understand these benefits and have organized two group runs during the week. One run is The Monday Night Run (TMNR), which takes place every Monday at 6.15 pm, at Super Jock ‘n Jill from Greenlake. This is a social run that is open to all pace levels.
The second run is the Redmond Tuesday Night Run, which takes place every Tuesday at 6.15 pm, at Super Jock ‘n Jill from Redmond. This is also a social run that is open to all pace levels.
Super Jock ‘n Jill knows how to ensure that their members have fun, even as they enjoy their group run. Periodically, Super Jock ‘n Jill organizes contests during the runs with occasional drawings and prize giveaways. We also organize post-run outings with food and beverages so be sure to check out our website and Facebook pages for updates.
So, don’t wait any longer…visit Super Jock ‘n Jill and find out more about these community runs, so you can enjoy all the benefits of group running. Also, don’t forget to check out the sports gear that Super Jock ‘n Jill stocks in both its stores. You will definitely find something to help you with your group run. We hope to see you soon!
For more information, contact Super Jock ‘n Jill at 425-658-4929 Redmond or at 206-522-7711 Greenlake and at info@superjocknjill.com.