FR Run Club Returns for 2026!
Here’s some truth to start the week: I’m not a huge fan of running.
As a kid, I could be compared to Forrest Gump in my affinity for running (and, at times, my haircut), but as an adult with now several lower leg surgeries, it’s not something that I am naturally inclined to do, at least without some prodding.
And, as a coach, my bias against running came after years of meeting with people that wanted to start exercising, and did so by hitting the road, jogging. Often, as with many things, we try to do too much too soon, and our bodies take a toll. In the worst cases, this can lead to nagging injuries like plantar fasciitis; in better (but not great cases), it leads folks to give up exercise altogether, thinking that if they can’t run, they can’t be fit.
Of course, we here all know that fitness encompasses a broad range of modalities and abilities, and it’s best to train across a lot of these, to keep ourselves balanced, and to have fun. Still, running is a fundamental human skill, and I’d argue that it would benefit most people to be at least OK at it, meaning that, if asked to run a couple of miles at a moderate pace, it wouldn’t run their whole week.
The Run Club is Born
We launched our first iteration of the Full Range Run Club back in 2020, with a couple of goals in mind:
First, as we entered the first Spring/Summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to find a way to get people outside and moving, especially when getting into the gym was difficult (or, as it was at times, impossible).
Second, we saw this as a way to build connection and community virtually, as people shared their runs on SugarWOD and social media. We could fist-bump from afar, and support each other as we strove to hit our goal of doing 1 mile a day, every day, for the entire month.
Fast-forward now, 6 years later, and we’re re-examining the Run Club, and how we want it to look. The idea of committing to doing something every day has some utility, and I highly recommend this for things like making your bed, brushing your teeth, and, ideally, hugging someone. But, as I mentioned above, running every day might just be too much for some people, and we certainly don’t want to burn anyone out, especially when the goal is to get people into running, not out of it.
Also, as we’ve discussed in this forum in the past, pledging to do something every single day can be counterproductive to our overall goal. What often happens is that when we DO miss a day (because life is life), we feel defeated, and give up on the whole endeavor. Now this isn’t an inevitable outcome, but it did get us to question our motivation in making a challenge that was somewhat aggressive, and also short-term (30 days is a not a huge amount of time to get good at running).
The other aspect of our original run club that jumps out to us now is that fact that, other than encouraging people to get together to do their daily runs when possible, most of it has still been virtual. If there’s anything we’ve learned since the 2020, it’s that doing things WITH OTHERS, in real life, is the stuff that makes hard things easier, fun things funner, and life, generally, much better.
The Next Step: Run Club 2.0
This year, the FR Run Club is going LIVE!
Here are the details, bullet-style:
Weekly meet-up runs on Thursday evenings, where we will run (or walk) the East Bay bike path, then meet back at Narragansett Brewery for a “cooldown” hang. All members and friends are welcome (including kids and dogs!)
Twice weekly optional running workouts that can be completed alone or with friends, that will teach skills like pacing and breathing.
Weekend “pop-up” group runs for those that want extra community time
Now, the extra-fun part: Each week, we will be raffling off prizes from Lululemon, Ascent, and LMNT. The more you participate, the more chances you have to win cool stuff!
The official Run Club will run from May 4th, all the way until June 30th. Would we love to see you every week? Of course. But, if you can’t commit, just try and do as many of the activities as you can in May and June, and have some fun with it. Could the club keep going after that? Maybe — we’ll see how it goes!
Our first meet-up will be next Thursday, May 7th, and more info will be sent out between now and then.
Want to get involved? Add your contact info to the sheet here, and we (myself, Coach Shannon, and Coach TJ) will keep you in the loop!
Looking forward to connecting with a bunch of you in our reluctant adoption love of running!
