Are there non-bar oriented social run clubs on the south end? Looking for an occasional easy pace, go out for coffee after type club.
Most of the stuff I've seen either revolves around beer drinking or have speed track nights and such. Not that there's anything wrong with either, just not my scene.
Just some take it or leave it personal advice. It’s fun to sign up for everything, but stacking races too close can crowd out real training.
I ran my first 5k last October and just finished my last one a week and a half ago. I definitely got over excited about races. Now that this block is over I'm pivoting to training for longer distances and building more endurance.
Between my first 5k last October and my last 5k a week and a half ago I ran in eight 5ks and two 10ks. Thats ~19 day average between races with the longest distance being 29 days and the shortest 14.
Feels like a lot of half-recovery, not much uninterrupted training, and training for the wrong things. I did pretty well. Typically came in 1st or 2nd in my age bracket. Not a particularly competitive bracket but I'm happy with my paces/times.
But I was always preparing or getting over a race and I let it keep me in short distances. This past Saturday I ran an easy 7 miles for the first time and I wouldn't have done that if I was getting ready for another 5 or 10k.
My plan is to keep building up my Saturday long run. I'll do a fun 10k in a couple of months and I'll do a half towards the end of the year but these races are kind of a distraction for me if its too often. Running is fun. I want to run longer distances.
Now I've got a drawer full of goofy shirts I don't need, a bunch of participation medals, and a stack of race bibs, but I haven't run 10 or 15 miles at a time. Yet.
Just some out loud thinking here because I see a lot of posts focused on these races as the thing to accomplish.
Totally do them! They're super fun. But don't do what I did and let them get in the way of running for running's sake or becoming a better runner.