Running with friends and groups

A solo run is a plan you can cancel in your head at 6 a.m. A run with a friend is an appointment, and most people keep appointments. Company also makes the time pass. Twenty minutes of conversation feels shorter than twenty minutes of breathing.

Research on goals backs up the idea that a little support goes a long way. In a year-long study of more than 1,000 people’s New Year’s resolutions, published in PLOS ONE in 2020, the group that got some support during the year was more likely to say it kept its resolution than the group that got none. The group that got the most support did not do better than the others. A friend who runs with you on Saturdays is enough. You do not need a coach texting you every day.

Company also keeps easy runs easy. On your own it is tempting to push every run. With someone beside you, the talk sets the pace, and conversational pace is exactly where most of your running should be. With a partner, many people simply stop racing themselves.

• Run at the slower person’s pace. If you can both talk in full sentences, the pace is right for an easy run.
• Pick a short loop, about half a mile to a mile, and let each person choose how many laps. You pass each other and finish together.
• Let the faster runner go ahead for a few minutes, then turn around and loop back to the group.
• Walk together between running intervals, especially with someone new. A walk-run pair stays together better than a run-only pair.
• Agree the plan before you start: time, route and whether you wait at corners. Most friction on group runs comes from guessing.

Running with a friend who is just starting is one of the best things you can do for them, and for your own easy days. It only works if the run is built around them.

• Let them set the pace and the intervals. Your job is to keep the conversation going, not to push.
• Start with walk-run, such as one minute jogging and two minutes walking, for 20 minutes.
• Pick a flat, quiet loop with a restroom and somewhere to stop. Hills and busy roads put new runners off.
• Finish while it still feels good. A run that ends with “that was fine” gets repeated. A run that ends in a stitch does not.
• Book the next one before you say goodbye. Same day, same time next week.

If your friend is starting from zero, point them to the virtual 5K for beginners plan so you can follow it together.

Most towns have more free group runs than people realize. Start with these:

• Local running stores. Many host a free weekly group run with pace groups, often on a weekday evening.
• Parks and recreation departments, community centers and YMCAs. Look for beginner programs and walking groups.
• Your workplace or school. A lunchtime walking group counts, and it is the easiest one to keep going.
• Local social media groups and neighborhood apps. Search your town’s name plus “running group.”
• For medal collectors, the Medal Hunters group on Facebook is where X Challenge runners share progress.

Ask before your first visit whether the group has a no-drop policy, meaning nobody gets left behind. That one detail tells you whether new runners are welcome.

• Run no more than two abreast on roads and shared paths, and single file when cars or bikes pass.
• Call out hazards like potholes, curbs and cyclists for the people behind you.
• Wait at the end, or at agreed corners, for the last runner.
• Keep headphones low or leave one ear free so you can hear the group and traffic.
• Do not turn an easy run into a race. If you want a hard session, do it on another day.

For running near traffic, see road safety for runners.

Friends in other cities can still run together. Each of you signs up for the same challenge, records your own runs and walks, and you compare progress during the week and medals at the end. Legends Of Asgard suits a group of new runners: three medals building from 5 km to 21 km, 36 km in all. The Four Holy Beasts suits walkers who like a long, steady goal, with 474 km over four challenges.

A simple way to keep a remote group going: agree a start date, so everyone taps Start the same day, and post one update every Sunday. With LOKI, that is one check-in at the halfway point and one at the finish.

Groups fade when nobody owns the plan. Here is a light structure for two to five friends, near or far, that takes about five minutes a week to run.

Rotate who picks the route each week. People show up more for a run they planned.

• What if my friend is much faster? Use loop laps or out-and-back so you each run your own pace and still start and finish together.
• Is it safe to run with a group at night? Usually safer than alone. Wear lights, stick to lit routes and see running in the dark.
• Do I need to be fit to join a group run? Most beginner and no-drop groups welcome walk-runners. Ask the organizer first.
• What if I am shy about running with strangers? Bring a friend to the first session, or start with a walking group where talking is easier.
• How do we keep a remote challenge fun? Same start date, one shared chat, and a weekly photo of each person’s route. A small bet, like the last to finish buys coffee, helps too.

• Oscarsson and colleagues, A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions, PLOS ONE, 2020