When we first moved to D.C. in 2008, we were lucky enough to fall in with Pacers Silver Spring’s Fun Run group, which meets at the store at 7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday for 5-milers throughout the city.
I’d previously resisted running with a group, but found that it was a great way to meet new people, and to challenge myself by running with people who were faster than me, forcing me to push the pace to keep up. It was great for slower days, too, in that “misery loves company” kind of way.
Post-ACL-tear, I never really got back in the group-run groove. Part of this stems from the discovery that I really benefit from a mid-day break in the form of physical exercise. But I suspect that deep down, it also has a lot to do with ego—seeing the people you used to run with whiz by you can be demoralizing, if you let it be.
Last night, inspired by a few other friends coming back from their own running hiatuses, I did my group run again. And you know what? It was fine. I settled in with a group of four–some new running buddies, some old—and relaxed into a pace that ended up being about 9:30-minute miles. We did one of my favorite routes, and the miles flew by as I focused on little more than my own footfalls (it’s easier to focus on your own footfalls when someone else is minding the route). The experience reminded me of all the benefits of running in a group—the camaraderie born of shared pain and matching headlamps—and kind of made me forget about the downsides.
Do you run with a group? Why, or why not?
Amy Reinink 
I love running with a group, especially for long runs. It’s easy to zone out and let the miles flip by. So glad you are feeling well enough to jump in with your group again!
I just found your blog and I love it! I used to have great running friends and we would run together all the time, but they moved away and since then I have been a lone runner. I really miss running with groups but somehow never plan or make it to the Pacer’s (I also live in Silver Spring) or Lululemon group runs. As with your post from Monday, I’m too hard on myself and think I will be too slow! Need to change that, thanks for the great reads.