Technology and apps can definitely enhance your training experience. But, if you want the ultimate training experience, it’s a good idea to marry whatever training technology or app you’re using with a solid group of runners to train with on a regular basis. Below are my top five reasons for joining a run club.

-Running alone only goes so far.

Fundamentally, running is an individual sport. On race day, you may be surrounded by hundreds (or thousands) of runners, but ‘you’ and only you can finish the race. So, it is important to have experience running alone.

Running alone teaches personal accountability and responsibility. It helps develop mental toughness. It is meditation in motion.

But, we aren’t meant to be alone in perpetuity. It is how we are wired. We are social animals.

If you’re hungover on a Saturday morning, you probably won’t run on your own. When it’s cold and dark and 5AM, motivating to get a few miles in on your own might be tough. Grinding through that final interval at the track is a much tougher task running solo.

Running alone will take you far. But, running alone only goes so far. Your local running club can help you soldier through a hangover, avoid hitting the snooze button, and power through that final stretch at the track.

-Casual accountability.

Most clubs won’t give you a gold star for showing up. Likewise, they likely won’t punish you for not showing up. But, there’s something to be said for ‘casual accountability’.

Casual accountability is an amalgamation of fear of disappointing others, guilt, and a little ‘fear of missing out’.

If you don’t show up for run club, you might be leaving your running buddy Andrea in the lurch. You might miss some goofy running jokes from your friend Dana. You also might miss out on a post run beer with Dave who only runs to rationalize a post run beer.

Your absence at run club will be noticed. Nothing may ‘really’ be at stake. But, you might be disappointing some friends. You might be missing an opportunity to run faster than you would on your own. Perhaps most importantly, you’re missing an opportunity to commune with your fellow runners.

The casual accountability your local running club provides can lead to better running short and long term.

-Wisdom.

Most local run clubs have a long and illustrious history. There are years (if not decades) of running experience that permeate every run they host. Each run provides an opportunity to rub elbows with every breed of runner imaginable.

If you’re tackling your first 5K, there’s someone who has been there. If you’re taking those first few trepidatious steps after coming back from an injury, there’s a runner who has been through this journey. If you’re looking for a new route in a city that is unfamiliar to you, you will find someone who can point you in the right direction.

If you’re new to running, there are few resources more valuable than your local running club. Your club likely has a plethora of experienced runners. This means you have access to a wealth of running wisdom to draw upon.

-Love.

We’re all looking for love at the end of the day. This could be of the platonic or romantic variety. Joining your local run club can help get you both.

Running is a social lubricant. The potent cocktail of fresh air, sweat, and ever changing scenery has a tendency to loosen tongues. Conversation flows.

All it takes is logging a few miles with someone next to you. You can learn a lot about someone in a few miles. You might learn you really like the person next to you.

I’ve been witness to it countless times in my club. Innumerable friendships have been spawned on the run. I’ve also been witness to more than one romance blossom that resulted in nuptials and kids.

Your local run club can be a love catalyst.

-It is where the heart and soul of running resides.

There are a lot of great, fun, free, sponsored ‘training programs’ out there managed by huge brands.

There is nothing wrong with any of them. I have coached for at least one of them. But, something to consider is the fact that at least some of them are primarily interested in you as a consumer of their shoes, shirts, and gear.

Admittedly, local run clubs are trying to sell you something too. They are selling you on one of the most life affirming acts on the planet. They are trying to get you hooked on running.

But, this sell job comes from a place of love. Local run clubs are more than likely doing what they do because they love it. Your local run club wants to share this love with you.

Your local run club is where the heart and soul of running resides. There might be a price tag associated with joining. But, there might be a good reason for it.