Our lone wolf athletes out there may disagree but we humans are a social lot. In fact, we often draw energy and motivation from the pack.
If you’re getting back into shape, training for your 10th marathon, or training recreationally, the company of another person or a training group might just help you go the extra mile when you can’t do it by yourself.
Here are six reasons you should consider finding a training partner or group.
• Training with someone else pushes you to keep pace if you tire over the course of your training session.
• A training group can motivate you to get out there on the days when you don’t have the motivation to workout. Staying committed to your sport is easier when you make plans to meet a group of people. You won’t push snooze on the alarm clock for the early morning training session when you know your group will give you grief for it if you miss that workout.
• Group training can get your competitive juices flowing and drive you to train a little harder than usual.
• Group training can give you an advantage for race day preparation. Large races can be intimidating. Training with a group will give you the opportunity to learn the skills and techniques needed to stay focused, manoeuvre your way around people over the course of a race, and finish strong.
• Working out with a group will give you the chance to better track your progress as you can gauge your performance against your training group members.
• Last but not least, training with other people keeps you distracted from any barriers that might otherwise slow you down – negative thoughts, a hard day at the office, trouble with a loved one, etc. Conversations you have with your training partner or among the members of your training group helps you maintain your sense of perspective on things, fosters relationships, and may even give you the chance to learn something new.
Give group training a chance. Look for a new training group in your hometown at any of the MapMyFitness websites.
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