Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
What next?
![[Deleted User]](https://w8.vanillicon.com/862845dcdf74a2430e6321926dfe0dfe_100.png)
Hi, totally new to all this running & blogging !
started running about a month ago ( not ran since school 30 yrs ago ) & I'm totally hooked. from not be able to make it to the bottom of the road I'm now achieving 5/6 mile every other day , forcing a rest day in between.I don't worry about times although think they're Okish.although I love getting out there I'm now thinking that maybe I should join a local club for a number of reasons.my biggest problem I'm terrible at meeting new people, what if I'm hopeless , will they leave me behind ?
Has anyone felt like this before joining a running club? Surely everyone has to start somewhere
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Just do it.
If your local club is half as friendly mine (north Norfolk beach runners) you'll soon have a dozen new friends.
also consider parkrun if you have one near by.
You don't have to join a club. I have been running 3 years and have not bothered and I am coping ok.
But I have been out with my local club and they wouldn't leave you behind. Most decent clubs will have a beginners night anyway. Just enquire and I am sure they would love to have a new person on board. I wouldn't worry about meeting new people because you will all have something in common to talk about!
Don't worry about being hopeless, the fact that you have started running and want to take it to the next level thats something. Hopeless is being sat on your a** and not wanting to get out there!
Go for it
Hi Brig68
I say go for it, I have been running for 7 years now and am joining a club for the first time on Thursday!
Don't think for a minute that running clubs are filled with athletes. Just like tennis clubs aren't filled with Andy Murray wannabes.
There will be plenty of people there who are the same, better or worse than you at running.... and they don't leave people behind.
If you ask me, they are a perfect place for someone who's not so good at meeting people. Because you can choose to blend in a bit if you like - and it isn't at all awkward if you don't chat too much... but then there are plenty of opportunities for small talk... or longer conversations whilst you run, if you feel like it. There's nothing forced about it... over a period of weeks you start to fit in and slowly get to know quite a few people.
On another subject... if you've gone from zero to 5/6 miles every other day in the space of a month... just be careful. Your heart and lungs can adapt quickly... and for you, that must be happening. But your leg muscles, tendons, bones... they also all need to adapt to the repetitive stresses involved in running, and that normally takes longer. They say that the prime time for new runners to pick up an injury is after 1-3 months. The 'damage' is cumulative and often manifests itself at this point unless you're giving enough time for your body to repair itself (of course, this natural cycle of micro-damage and repair is all part of the natural process for your body to adapt and improve).
So... just be patient. You might be lucky, but certainly watch out for niggles in this next couple of months, and ease back on the miles a little if appropriate.
I felt exactly the same before I joined my club. They turned out to be the nicest bunch of people I've ever met and I've never looked back! Go for it!
Thanks for all the responses. Have made the first step of e-mailing them. RunWales, advice duly taken , but should say I'm a post lady & walk7/8 miles a day as well . Learning to warm up & down .xx
Most decent clubs allow you to go along for a session or two to suss them out. I went to my local one for a session, realised it really wasn't for me, and have not looked back since. Last thing I would worry about is whether you are too fast, too slow etc. Find out about the benefits it can provide, the sessions they run, events they hold, marshalling duties you might be expected to do etc.