If you want to get into running, people will give you the same three pieces of advice: buy a good pair of trainers, warm up properly and join a run club. Now, the first bit about trainers is absolutely true. Get your shoes even slightly wrong and you’ll end up with blisters, hip ache and more. Warming up is always a good thing, although what that looks like will differ from person to person (I prefer a very slow kilometre jog, while others like to do dynamic stretching). The third thing – about running with other people – is the advice I’ve always doubted.

Despite having run pretty much every other day for the past decade, the thought of joining Parkrun or a running club is still a terrifying one. I’ve done Parkrun twice and it was fine but it felt more like a local race than a community activity. My weekend warrior friends who go every week are forever boasting about post-park coffees and meet-ups with other runners. On the couple of occasions I went, no one even looked me in the eye, let alone asked if I wanted to stay for a coffee.

Joining a running group can be terrifying – but here’s why it’s worth it