Joining a running club

I’ve always been quite proud of the fact that I’ve run for my entire adult life and never been a member of a running club or had a coach. I’ve got better at running just through my own hard work.

But my life is in a different place now. I’m 50 and I’m facing an empty nest. One son is at uni and I expect my other two kids to move out next year. I have to start thinking about what is right for me. Running is the main thing which makes me happy and I know I still have the potential to get better at it – despite my advancing years! And I know the way to do that is by joining a club.

There are a few running clubs around here. Some of them are quite elite and some of them are definitely for joggers and beginners. In between that are some that are pretty inclusive. My running club is probably the biggest in the area and almost certainly the most inclusive. The range of abilities is huge – from really competitive athletes to people who enjoy a slow run and a chat. In a few short weeks I’ve met people ranging in age from early 20s through to late 60s. And it’s surprising how there is often very little difference in ability in that whole age range!

We chose this particular club because they have a good representation at our local parkrun, so we knew we would see faces we recognise. My husband’s colleague has also been a member for a few years and has been trying to persuade my husband to join for a long time.

My husband joined the running club three months before I did and of course I was jealous. But I had mum taxi duties to deal with. The sessions clash with my daughter’s dance lessons, so I couldn’t go. I said I would join when she passed her driving test. Getting a driving test these days is so hard. She had one booked for January, but then she managed to get a cancellation for the middle of October. And she passed! So I could join the running club.

The main reason I wanted to join a club is for the interval/ speed endurance training. This is the way to get faster. I was nervous about it though. As a 50 year old woman, I assumed I’d be the slowest there. I was also worried about how I would handle pushing myself that bit harder, rather than running within my capabilities.

When I’d done interval training in the past as part of my marathon training, I just worked it out for myself. I probably did it badly and I hated every second of it! I wanted to get it as part of my weekly routine, not just a short-term thing for marathon training.

My husband said I would love it, but I really wasn’t sure.

I do love it. Even though it can be brutal!

The club members are friendly and the coach (another 50 year old woman) is really good. There are some regulars and some people who turn up less often. There are a couple of very fast men, but I fit in comfortably. I’m not always the oldest woman there (although I usually am) and I’m not the slowest either.

The sessions are varied, although they follow a weekly pattern, which I’m slowly starting to learn. Once a month, we train on the track, which I love. When I told the kids we were training on the track, they said it would be really boring. They’ve spent years training on the track and always thought it looked boring for the endurance runners, running round and round. But it’s not.

A normal session starts with a mile jog, then a dynamic warm-up (drills). Then we might do short, fast runs, with lunges and squats in between (an absolute killer). Or the ‘long’ session, which is four fast miles – all run at slightly different paces with a short break between. Or a session with three fast three-minute runs with a short break, followed by three fast four-minute runs and then another three three-minute runs.

The session ends with a cool down mile jog, followed by some stretches.

In total, we’re running between five and seven miles each session. We’re pushing ourselves harder than we would normally. And we’re getting faster and stronger.

At times, it is so hard, but I’m buzzing afterwards.

Joining a running club wouldn’t have been the right thing for me a few years ago (and it would have been impossible with my mum taxi duties), but it is the right thing for me now and I’m glad I’ve taken the plunge.