Today I went to check out the L.A. Leggers running group to see if it was for me. Mind you, I’ve been stalking several running groups online to see how their groups operate, what my level of commitment needs to be financially and physically, how are they going to help me, and do I think they can help me reach my goal overall.
I chose L.A. Leggers because they had an updated website and Facebook page where I could easily find information like time, place, activities, cost, benefits, training plan, and overall philosophy of the group. On top of that they’ve been around 29 years and have helped tons runners and walkers achieve their goals.
Today I attended the second of two available orientations. I registered with the group, got my shirt and a cool goodie bag with good stuff. Then we had to figure out the pace group that I will be training with. Everyone ran (or walked) one mile and based on that time they added 2 to 3 minutes to suggest a starting pace group. I ran a solid 10 minute mile and decided to go with the 12.5 minute pace group. I will begin training with this group every Saturday morning while I follow their training plan during the week.
I have to admit, I was a little nervous thinking things like will I be the slowest? Will I be the oldest? Will I be the least experienced? But right away I was greeted by friendly and smiling faces and it was obvious that we all came from various walks of life, experience, goals and ages. So I immediately felt comfortable.
Another concern of mine and I think I still need to figure this out is that I will be running with other people. I’ve never done that. I run alone with my ear buds and my thoughts. So it will be an adjustment for me to get used to running with others at a certain pace without my music. I could use my ear buds but if I’m going to have a group experience then why would I cut myself off from others? So I’ll have to check in at a later post about this.
So, today’s the day I made the commitment. My first half marathon will be on Sunday, October 8th in Long Beach.
Running Rain 