My Best Training Happens in a Group. Why Yours Can Too

In the warm light of late morning, it’s easy to come up with good reasons to wake up before 5 a.m. to run: I love watching the sunrise; I get more time to spend with my infant son; I feel refreshed.

- PJ THOMPSON, Jenny McCoy

I could keep going, long enough—I bet—to convince you that early-morning runs are wonderful, life-affirming things.

Here’s the truth, though: My brain forgets all those reasons when the piercing alarm goes off. Even though I’ve had this habit for years, in those bleary moments under the blanket, my mind thinks of way more reasons why staying in bed and skipping the run is a better idea.

I’ve found there’s only one motivator powerful enough to overcome those excuses: the group of runners who I know are crawling out of bed at that exact same moment, and who will be waiting for me in the darkness. Community, for many of us runners, is essential.

For years, I relied on a group that—rain, shine, heat, or mist—showed up at the exact same spot at 5:30 a.m. We needed each other, not just as pacing partners or for friendly chatter; we’d convinced ourselves that training together, at this brutally early time, was worth more than an extra hour of shut-eye. Skipping felt like failing the group. There was power in our shared commitment.

This became most salient for me in 2019 when my wife and I moved to a new neighborhood in southern Austin, Texas. My usual running group was now located too far away. I could have tried going at it alone—waking up early, finding new routes in the dark. But I missed the camaraderie, and I especially missed the accountability. The problem? My new neighborhood didn’t have a group to join. So I decided to start one myself.