Sunday Morning Run Club

Feel like you’re losing motivation to run? Join the club! In all seriousness though, join a run club! It may sound simple, but I have experienced the impact of the benefits of running with others and the joy it can bring to exercising when you might not feel like it. 

After a summer of road racing and trying to build my pace to hit my 10k time goal, I found myself NOT so keen on wanting to go on runs as much as when I knew had a future race to train for. I had been so focused on hitting new personal bests and improving my performance that somewhere along the way, running started to lose its appeal. What once felt like an exciting challenge began to feel more like a chore. Finding myself in a bit of a running rut, I knew I needed a change of scenery, a shift in perspective, to reignite my passion for running. After some consideration, I decided to join a new gym in the hopes of rekindling my motivation. This gym held a run club on a Sunday morning, bright and early at half eight which seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet others who had the same interest as me. 

My first trip to the gym was nerve-wracking, so I brought my mum with me for some much-needed backup. The gym community was incredibly welcoming! I was worried about joining the run club as I was initially intimidated by the idea of joining a group of experienced professional runners. Still, I quickly realized that there was a range of abilities that attended the Sunday morning run. Everyone was welcome, from elite athletes to those just starting their fitness journey. It was inspiring to see such a wide range of people sharing a common passion. Once everyone arrived at the gym, we set out on our 5k steady run. Throughout the run, everyone was very encouraging and even those who ran at a quicker pace were very motivated to get everyone through to the end. When arriving back at the gym after completing our route, everyone had coffee and got the chance to get to know each other. 

The run club was an absolute game-changer for me. I loved the sense of community and the chance to connect with like-minded people. It was so good to get to know other members that went to the gym a bit better. As well as this, I realized that I wasn't alone in my struggles with motivation, and that made it easier to stay committed to my own goals.

So, with all this said, if you ever feel like you’re lacking motivation to get your trainers on and get out for a run, don’t be afraid to take the step to join a casual running club to help to find your love for the sport again!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

Kirsty xx