Summer Fun With Social Runs!
Well, it looks like summer has slapped Texas in the face. Y’all, it went from like 60 degrees to hitting temps in the 90s overnight. I may have gotten a start on my tank top and short tan on my long run this weekend. Needless to say, runners are still out there! Summer used to not bother me but lately I have been dragging! I’ve been psyching myself out and don’t want to go out when I know it will be toasty. Thankfully I have accountability to get me outside. Let’s talk about some summer fun with social runs!
For as long as I can remember, I HATED running in a group. I think it mostly stems from the fact that I was always forced to run with people way faster than me so I eventually got left behind (super demotivating). However, now that I found my groove and a cool group of people, I hate running alone! Yes, running is my time to listen to music and zone out but remember those rising temps? It’s more and more tempting to blow off the run and stay indoors. I’ll choose to brave the temps if I can run with a group!
I’ve spoken with other runners and there’s something different about running with a group. Running with a group of people lowers your perceived effort of exertion. Therefore you can technically be hitting quicker paces that you tend to struggle with on your own. Not only that but you tend to chat and time passes quickly! If you live in the south and get to deal with the wonderful heat and humidity that summer brings, it helps to have others to “embrace the suck” together.
There’s a group I run with from a local running studio. There’s weekly social runs where we gather at a brewery for a quick three mile run and then hang out afterwards. I have a recovery run in the schedule so I tend to run with the group so I get two birds with one stone! Even if you’re not a drinker (I usually abstain), events like these get you into the community and you get to meet other runners. What I like about this is that I have been able to push my pace since I tend to fall in the middle of the pack within the group and I like the chase those ahead of me.
The group also meets on Tuesday mornings for a track workout. There’s something about having a group of people join you early in the morning that makes it a bit easier to get out of bed. Knowing that others are expecting you is usually enough to get you out of bed! Even if you’re not a morning person, you tend to do whatever you can to avoid the summer heat.
As summer rolls around, more and more social runs pop up around town. School is out and most people tend to have a flexible schedule. Joining these social runs is a great way to meet people, join the community, and improve your running!
Do you participate in any social runs during the summer?
