When I say ‘running club’, I don’t mean one of those flashy gangs you see all over social media. I mean a local club with structured training and scheduled sessions. I was so nervous when I attended for the first time but, I had no reason to be; everybody was lovely and supportive, and even though it was an interval session on a track, there was no pressure regarding times or ability.

It was refreshing to chat with people of all ages and backgrounds, and through the club, I met people from across the local running community. Since joining in 2022, I’ve always been able to look up and see a familiar face cheering me on at Parkrun, which is motivating and inspires me to turn up each week.

Advice on anything running-related – kit, trainers, races – is always readily available. When you become part of a club, there’s a sense of accountability, which, in my case, has helped me to form a regular running routine. Having structured and scheduled sessions, which require booking in advance, means that I make more effort to safeguard the time, even in the dark winter months.

How to run a 5K PB: “Joining a running club transformed my running routine”