Greetings Running Buddies!
I am so thankful for the all the running groups I’ve experienced through many years of running! And when the COVID pandemic first broke out a couple of years ago, these groups suddenly became my primary source of socialization. Running groups are the best!
Speaking of running groups, what an awesome turnout we had for the group run with Abbie D’Agostino Cooper during our Winter Seminar weekend. It was a fabulous weekend and major kudos to Hannah Boles and Colleen Sands for their hard work and planning for the seminar events.
We are so fortunate to live in an area where there are so many running group opportunities. The benefits of group running are numerous. Personally, I enjoy the social aspects of group runs and find discipline in the expectation to show up ready to run. Want to know more benefits? A quick online search will produce numerous blogs and articles that elaborate on the benefits of group running.
Hopefully all of you are aware of the TCTC Running Groups on Meetup. We currently have over 800 subscribers for TCTC Meetup Group Runs with several regular runs including the Tuesday Evening Track Night, Wednesday Evening Hill Loop (daylight savings time only), Thursday Evening Runs from PNC, Saturday Long Runs and Saturday 11ish Pace Runs. There are distances and paces for everyone. Please contact me if you have more group runs you would like to add.
Like running and beer? Fiddlin’ Fish hosts “Run Like a Fish Run Club” group runs on Monday evenings. Foothills Brewing hosts the “Foot Soldier Run Club” group runs on Wednesday evenings.
Fleet Feet Sports Winston-Salem hosts many group runs as part of their We Run Winston program, including No Boundaries training groups.
Black Girls Run hosts regular group runs that feature structure and encouragement. Their WALKB4URUN! program is a very popular way to ease into a running routine with strong camaraderie from other new runners.
These are only a few of the running group organizations in our area. You can find a more complete list of organized running groups on the Running Shorts blog produced by Eddie Wooten.
Beyond these organized running groups, there are dozens of informal running groups that many of you participate in on a daily basis. If you enjoy running with other people, the opportunities are countless. Find your group (or groups) and make the most of your running time. If you’re like me, you’ll be glad you did!
Happy Running!
Er