Group Training for Marathoners: Advantages vs. Objections

Group training for marathoners has been around a long time. Although many see marathoning as a solo sport, training with a group has advantages. Still, some marathoners object that group training has disadvantages, too. What about the alternatives?

First, I’ll compare group training with solo training and partnered training. Second, I’ll look at how group training has advantages for marathoners. Third, I’ll go through several objections to group training, and how they are bunk. Fourth, I’ll discuss whether solo or partnered training ever makes sense. Fifth, I’ll give advice about group training for your next marathon.

Solo vs. partnered vs. group training

Solo training is the vision that most non-marathoners have of marathon training. Movies have popularized the idea that training for a marathon is a solitary act. Only a crazy person would want to run a marathon, and crazy people keep to themselves.

Solo training does appeal to many marathoners. Some of these marathoners are deliberate in choosing solo training. Others may have fallen into it and never considered any other way to train for a marathon.

Partnered training is the next step for many marathoners. They meet someone in a race or at a park and discover a shared pace. Or, they are fortunate enough to have a spouse or neighbor who shares their pace. Plus, the partner must have the same preference for training times and durations.

Partnered training appeals to marathoners who don’t like to train alone. As with solo marathoners, they may have chosen this form of training. Or, they may have fallen into it in college, after getting married, or after moving into a neighborhood.

Group training for a marathon lets you train with others toward a common goal, such as an upcoming race. A marathon group-training program meets on a regular basis. It may have both weekday and weekend runs. The weekday runs may be shorter so that they accommodate members’ work schedules. The weekend runs, such as on Saturday mornings, then can focus on distance training.

Group training can be like partnered training. This can occur when members self-segregate by pace. And, there are marathoners who train with groups but stay to themselves on group runs. But, group training for the most part is for people who like to train with more than one other marathoner.

Group training has lots of advantages for marathoners

There are many reasons for a marathoner to train with a group program. Here, in no significant order, are eighteen of them:

Education: You learn about everything from hydration and nutrition to pronation and speed work. For example, the program may give a presentation after each long run on a Saturday morning.
Support on longer runs: You get vital stops for water, sports drinks, and snacks on longer runs, as you would in a marathon. For example, a store may sponsor water stops for Saturday runs longer than eight miles.
Safety in numbers: You run with people who can call for help in an emergency. For example, I cellphoned for an ambulance after a fellow member tripped and hit his head on concrete.
Swappable running buddies: You can, unlike with partnered training, run with someone different each week. For example, you may want to do this to avoid others boring you, to avoid boring others, or to run at a different pace.
Persistence: You get to “streak” your runs with the built-in peer pressure of showing up every week for the group runs. For example, a half-year program can give you a 26-week streak of long runs.
Motivation: You get motivated by the encouraging smiles, words, and pats on the back from coaches and members. For example, you might lag at the end of 20-miler, but a “You can do it!” – as in The Waterboy – could help you to finish.
Practice for crowds: You get to practice running behind, among, and around others – a crucial skill for running a marathon. For example, you learn how to adjust your pace when stuck in a crowd during a race.
Development of road courtesy: You develop what group programs call road courtesy, which helps you to avoid becoming “that guy” on race day. For example, you learn to run no more than two abreast and to announce road hazards or when you’re in passing mode.
Mentoring others: You gain from the age-old adage that you learn a subject better by teaching others. For example, a newer marathoner may ask you about pronation, which may drive you to look it up before your next run.
Receiving mentoring: You gain by getting mentoring from your fellow members in even unpredictable ways. For example, a fellow member may notice you breathing hard and talk to you about aerobic running.
Inspiration from newcomers: You get inspired by the enthusiasm and inquisitiveness of new marathoners. For example, a newbie showing up in a cheerful mood for long runs may cause you to change your own mood about long runs.
Word-of-mouth about products and techniques: You learn about products and techniques for marathoners in conversations on long runs. For example, this is how I first learned about forefoot running.
Increased sense of community: You bond with members from diverse backgrounds because of shared training challenges. For example, you learn to respect people from different careers, countries, and perspectives.
Cross-generational sharing: You get the benefit of impromptu wisdom transfer – from your elders, or to your juniors. For example, an older member may share career advice that you otherwise would not have heard.
Camaraderie: You develop long-lasting friendships with fellow members of your training group. For example, unless you change your pace or your group, you can train for years with many of the same members.
Laughter: You get “Laughter is the best medicine.” help from humor shared with fellow members. For example, laughter makes you take deeper breaths, which better oxygenates your body.
Pacing cues: You gain from having faster runners around you, which can help you to pick up your pace. For example, I trained with someone who picked up her pace whenever others in our group passed us.
Race-day encouragement: You can get encouragement from your training group on marathon morning. For example, your group may huddle before the race and may have a tent along the race course.

Objections to group training, and how they are bunk

Here are nine objections to group training for marathons. I debunk each one.

Too time-consuming: Long runs and weekday workouts take the same amount of time, group or no group. Yes, if you join a group that meets far from home, “too time-consuming” could be valid. But, many groups meet no more than twenty or so minutes from members’ homes. So, travel to/from group meetings is not a big deal. Plus, if you skip the weekday workouts with the group, then only the weekend run requires travel.
Too early: Some training groups have both morning and evening workouts. This negates the “too early” objection. What about training groups that have only early-morning workouts and long runs? Even “evening people” should run early in the day, as I discuss in my book Marathon Willpower. Plus, starting early for long runs is good practice for almost all marathons.
Boring: This applies only to a handful of groups with no creativity in their routes. In contrast, many groups know that varying the route weekly keeps members returning.
Cliquish: Cliques can form in everything from churches to training groups. But, this is not a fair objection to joining a group. Training groups often get new members. So, welcoming newcomers is, out of necessity, part of the culture of training groups.
Not my pace: Yes, there are training groups that may be too fast or too slow for you. But, as in the story of the Three Bears, there are other training groups that can be “just right”. Plus, there are training groups that accommodate a wide range of paces.
Too much talking: Some marathoners prefer the solitude of solo training. I appreciate that. The irony is that many of these marathoners train with earbuds and music or podcasts. So, their training is not silent. Other marathoners who raise this objection say that talking takes too much energy. I appreciate that, too. Here are three arguments against the “too much talking” objection. (1) You don’t have to talk; you can let others do the talking. Listening to an interesting monologue from a fellow member can help to put miles behind you. (2) Being able to talk on a run confirms that you’re not going anaerobic in the run. (3) Marathons are full of talkers, so chatting on group runs is good practice for marathons.
Hard to find: A Google search for “marathon training group” returned more than 70K matches. Removing the quotation marks returned more than 4.8 million matches. You can add your city’s name to your search to find a program near you. You also can check with the organizers of your upcoming marathon. Or, you can contact a program with a multi-city operation to learn about starting a group in your own city.
Hazardous to marriages: Some worry that training with others can threaten marriage fidelity. There are four answers to this objection. (1) This threat is no stronger than in any other organization. (2) You don’t have to train with those of the sex that is attractive to you. (3) When you train with those of the attractive sex, others are around you. So, you don’t have private, fidelity-challenging conversations. (4) Unlike with partnered training, group training lets you run with someone new every week. In my experience, group training can make a marriage stronger. Why? Group training is one of the few safe ways for engaging both men and women on various topics.
Too expensive: Charity-fundraiser groups may ask for a lot from members. But, let’s set them aside, given that most of the money acts as a donation. Non-fundraiser training groups can charge a very modest amount, given the benefits. These include talks, water stops, mapped routes, permits to assemble, and route monitors.

Does solo or partnered training ever make sense?

Partnered training can make sense when all these statements are true:

Your training partner’s pace matches your pace.
Your training partner’s temperament matches your temperament.
Your training partner’s availability to train matches your availability to train.
Your training partner’s endurance matches your endurance.
Your training partner is your spouse. Or, you are not attracted in a physical or emotional way to your training partner.

In contrast, solo training can make sense at times for many reasons, including these five:

Separation makes the heart grow fonder. Suppose that you have been with a training group for several years. You may find that training on your own for a season will renew your affinity for your group.
Clear your head. Suppose that you feel as if your life has become too complicated. Solo training is a great simplifier. You don’t have to make training arrangements with anyone else. You don’t have to hold a conversation with or endure a monologue from another runner. You can run solo … and clear your head.
Learn your own neighborhood. The simplest way to run solo usually is to start from your own home. This lets you learn your own neighborhood. You can run various distances from home, and you can go in different directions from home.
Try something obscure. Your training group’s workouts and long runs may not be the best time to try something obscure. For example, suppose that you want to learn forefoot running. You likely will need to practice this on your own, as I did. Or, suppose that you want to learn to walk faster. Your group may not have members who can walk as fast as you. Or, your group may not have walkers who will wait for you to become faster. I used solo training over eight Saturdays to teach myself to walk faster.
Recover from injury. If you get injured, then regular runs with a training group can become impossible. For example, you may have to switch to swimming or bicycling to help you with recovery.

What next?

If you are in a marathon training program and you like it, then stick with it! If you need a break because of one of the solo-training reasons listed above, then take a break!

If you’re in a program that you don’t like but want to continue with group training, then you have two options. (1) See whether you can move around in the program to enjoy it more. (2) Investigate other training groups.

If you want to join a (or another) marathon training program, then my advice depends on where you live. If you live outside the USA, then search the Web for “marathon training group” + your city’s name. If you live in the USA, then consider USA FIT first. This program has groups in more than 40 cities and is open to starting more. Plus, USA FIT meets all the advantages and answers all the objections to group training.

Working out with a compatible training group is good for your willpower. To learn other ways to protect willpower for marathons, check out Marathon Willpower. It even includes a section on training groups.

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