Tuesday group running etiquette

22 June 2021 - By Bill smythe

With the Tuesday social running groups getting bigger and restrictions being eased here’s a quick reminder on staying safe and etiquette whilst running in a group.

1. Always run as a group. This may sound simple and obvious but it is amazing the amount of times that people don’t. Choose a group that runs at roughly your pace and stay in it. If it is too fast or too slow, change groups at the next session. Please do not stay in a faster group each week if you are unable to maintain the group pace for the full distance. This is not fair on your fellow runners in the group.

2. If you do have to change group mid-session, remember to let the group leaders know. If you don’t, your old group may be looking for you and your new group won’t know you have joined them.

3. If you want to drop down a group for an easier paced run, remember to run at that group’s pace. Do not lead the group or run with the front runners as this will invariably push the pace.

4. Do regular turn-backs to keep the group together. You won’t all be able to run at the same pace every week so turn-backs are a good way of ensuring that no-one gets left behind. Remember, nobody comes to a club session to run on their own! Proper turn-backs involve running back to behind the last runner in your group, rather than waiting for them to catch up while you have a rest.

5. Don’t go speeding off the front of your group. If you are regularly running off the front of your group then it is time to move up to the next one. Similarly if you are always being dropped by your group, consider moving down one until your speed or endurance improves.

6. If you are leading a group, run at the group pace so the rest of the group can gauge if they are going too fast or too slow.

6. Remember running should be fun so enjoy yourselves!