All in this together.

One thing that comes to the fore at the end of the summer season, is the camaraderie associated with running. The summer season whilst very support focused, tends to be a lot more individual. Everyone has different race calendars, different distances they are training for, and training becomes a lot more intense. As a result, it is difficult for people to train together, as rarely do their sessions interlink. However, fast forward to the winter, and this tends to change. For the majority, weather focusing on the track next year or deciding to do cross country, the winter provides the opportunity to build their base fitness. Sessions tend to be slightly longer, a little bit less speedier, and mileage starts to increase. As a result, it is easier to link up with others and get ready to battle for fitness through the winter.

Sense of community.
If anything, the winter shows the sheer sense of community that floods throughout the running world. When training gets tough, runners come together to help one another. This brings a huge sense of support that allows you to not feel crazy when you head outside in minus degrees and pouring rain, because, guaranteed, even if you are running alone, there are lots of other runners battling through the exact same thing somewhere else. 

Another example is shown by the club community. Every Tuesday and Thursday, week on week, all year long, big groups of runners come together to grind it out. It is this that makes people accountable. If you know others are pushing on through, you want to too. You don’t want to let them down, so you turn up too. Even if you are sessioning solo, there is a coach, friend or relative that knows what you should be doing. This also makes you accountable. If they know you have a session to get done, they’ll ask you about it, and you don’t want to say you wimped out.

Common goals.
From runner to runner, whilst individualised, we all tend to share the same goals. It really is true as the saying goes, ‘winter miles bring summer smiles’. Thus, we all share the same want to work as hard as we consistently can throughout the winter in order to set PB’s on the track season. Whether a 1500m runner or a marathon runner, the winter is a crucial time to get your head down and get some consistent months of training under your belt. It is this common aim that unites us all, and allows us to recognise that we truly are, all in this together.