I signed up for a coached marathon training program

[Wines Not Whines]

This is new territory for me. It's a program through a local running club. I know several people who have done other training programs with them and had good experiences. It sounds like they give you a training plan based on your recent race times and your goals, and everyone meets up to do the long runs with different pace groups on the weekend. The long runs start at 6:30 am, 20 minutes from my house. Ack. So much for sleeping in on weekends. 

Has anyone done something like this before? Was it a good experience? I'm mostly doing this because I'd like to meet new people in my local running community and have some company on my long runs. 

[hannahb]

I did for my first. It's my second fastest marathon to date so there's something to be said about training with a group. Keeps you accountable too

[marcyiam]

I just signed up for one and we did our second run this morning. So far, so good.

(and I hear ya on early mornings all summer long lol)

Good luck!

[libbygrl109]

I just started one. So far, I'm happy with the tone of the group. It hurt to be up at six to get there by 7, especially since I haven't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days, but I was much more motivated to do so knowing a group is waiting.

[clseale]

Training with a custom schedule like that didn't do much for me, but running with a group certainly did! If you don't run with a group of people right now, or don't run with people slightly faster than you right now, I think you will see a huge difference. The best thing I ever did, was find running friends. I think you'll love it!

ETA: There's a big group here that I keep thinking about joining, but they start at 5:00. 5:00 AM! The humidity is worse at 5:00. I'm not sure I can do it.

[humpforfree]

I did last winter for a half- I needed motivation to get out in the cold all winter. Mine meets at 7 half an hour from my house (Saturdays) at we do speed work at a track Wednesday nights.

I did get faster last winter and PR'd two halves. The accountability was nice. BUT it took awhile for me to fall in with a group within the group- I am decently slow (started around 12 m pace for long runs) and it seemed like everyone was faster. I did end up with a similar pace group though, after a couple of weeks of long runs on my own. By the spring my little group was doing around 10:40-11 minute pace long runs, so we got faster together.

[jordylee]

I volunteered to be a pacer for a coached training program (for a half)... and I hate it. And usually I like running with a group, but the coached training program thing is just 100% not for me. Womp Womp. Lots of people like it though.

[labbie]

I did a coached running program for my first marathon and loved it. Same deal-  group long runs on weekends at your own pace.
I was very nervous since many of the runners already knew each other, I was a beginner, am slow, etc. but it's how I met my best running buddy (after a few weeks at the same pace we struck up a conversation) and we still run together here and there to this day.

I think you'll like it, but ouch to the 6:30am Saturday runs! At least they'll be done early in the day though