How to Get Over Your Group Run Anxiety

On any given weeknight across the country, groups of runners hit the town, united in their shared pursuit of logging miles.

But for every person who thrives off the camaraderie of a community run, countless others opt out. Some may be concerned about running with a group of strangers; others may worry about holding people back, slipping into a slower-paced group, or carrying on a conversation while running. The umbrella term for all of these concerns is group run anxiety—the fear of participating in a run with other people—and it’s probably something worth facing.

Group runs are built-in community. They’re a place to meet training partners and make life-long friends (and maybe even more). They’re motivation to lace up and head out the door on tough days, and they help give running more meaning than simply chasing fitness.

Not that any of those benefits outweigh group run anxiety. To better understand the concept and how to manage it, we spoke with two top run coaches: Joslyn Thompson Rule, a Peloton run and strength instructor, coach, podcast host, and author; and Dan Fitzgerald, a Nike running coach and co-founder of Heartbreak Hill Running Company.

Identify the benefits of participating in group runs and uncover strategies for overcoming the psychological barriers that may prevent you from joining.

Reasons to Face Your Running Group Anxiety

As human beings, we all yearn for a sense of belonging. While it can feel intimidating to run with a group of strangers, it’s worth summoning the courage to give it a try because a run club “can be an unintended nurturing space,” Thompson Rule says. “It pretty much comes back to a sense of belonging. And that includes a sense of belonging to yourself. You’re still committing to yourself as you show up in this group surrounded by others.”

Not only do run clubs help foster connection between individuals, but they can also help you deepen your relationship with yourself. As Fitzgerald shares about his run clubs, “we connect professional athletes to themselves. We connect brand new runners to themselves.”

Running with a group can also help you attain your goals faster. When you witness others put in the work and cross a finish line they weren’t sure they could cross, you begin to recognize that you, too, are capable of that.

“That physical transformation over such a short time is such a cool thing to be a part of,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s really fun to be able to see that those people push themselves through those types of transformations. And it’s not even a transformation, right? It’s really just a reacquaintance with, or a reframing of, their capacity.”

The science adds credence to these anecdotal benefits. One study of beginner runners found that participating in a running group helped them meet their training goals, improve self-efficacy, and enhance their mental well-being. Another study of London Marathon runners found that training with a run club significantly reduced their finishing time.

Strategies for Overcoming Group Run Anxiety

Shift Your Perspective

It’s natural to care about what other people think, but here’s the truth: No one is paying as much attention to you as you think they are.

In fact, social psychologists have a term for this phenomenon. It’s called the spotlight effect—and it refers to our tendency to overestimate the extent to which others are noticing our internal or external state. You may feel like your running form, pace, or overall performance are highlighted, but as Thompson Rule reminds us, “it’s never going to be as bad as you think. … They’re focusing on their workout, you know?”

It can help to notice how little you’re noticing other people, and then realize that they’re doing the same thing.

Adopt a Growth Mindset

It’s one thing to know that, theoretically, discomfort yields growth; it’s another to embody that mindset.

Thompson Rule chooses to train with a group of runners who are all faster than her because, as she says, “I can only get better by running with people who are better than me. … By virtue of showing up, you grow.”

While her mindset may not come naturally to most people, a reality she acknowledges, it may be one we can all borrow. It’s inspiring to surround yourself with people who are a few steps ahead of you, using their training path as a roadmap for your own.

Just Go for It

While adjusting your mindset is a useful preparation strategy, at a certain point, you’ve just got to rip off the band-aid. Thompson Rule and Fitzgerald both emphasize the importance of just going for it. “You don’t know if you don’t try,” Fitzgerald says.

As Thompson Rule reiterates, “that’s one of those things that … you then just have to practice doing, right? You have to go, OK, gulp, I hate this for me, but I’m going to give it a go and not worry about what anyone else is thinking.”

Challenge yourself to be curious about what good might come from showing up. Every time you experience this type of anxiety, but join the group run anyway, you make a deposit in your confidence bank and prove to yourself that you’re capable of doing the darn thing.

Drop the Old Stories

Once you go for it, you may start to realize that you’ve been telling yourself some old stories about why you shouldn’t participate in a group run.

Thompson Rule suggests that only by going for it can you rewrite some of that narrative. “I think that … fundamentally … it’s a practice thing,” Thompson Rule says. “I think you have to practice doing the bits that you don’t love. Almost until you realize, actually, this is not what I thought it was. It was the me in P.E. 25 years ago. It was the me in the cross-country race 15 years ago. It’s that old experience being like, ‘do not do this at all!’”

There might be something within you trying to protect you from reliving a former uncomfortable experience. When you become aware of this, you realize how prevalent those old stories are.

Give yourself permission to upgrade your narrative. Replace the outdated self-talk that’s holding you back with more encouraging words. It might be helpful to remind your nervous system that joining a group run is safe and not, actually, a threat to your sense of self.

Find Your People

Not every run club is going to be your run club. “Hopefully you knock it out of the park in terms of group dynamics on the first try,” Fitzgerald says, “but sometimes it takes a couple of tries.”

Thompson Rule reminds us that new runners, especially, may justify feeling uncomfortable in a new group because they think running, and everything associated with it, must be hard.

But what if your first experience was subpar because those just weren’t your people? Don’t take it personally if you don’t feel a sense of belonging; just find another group.

Fitzgerald underscored this point: “I think any good group is there to maintain anyone who shows up—their well-being. That’s the job of being a group leader. If that’s not what they’re doing, then they’re not very good at their job, and you can leave with that information. But the information shouldn’t be that you don’t belong there. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be in a running group.”

While it’s natural to experience group run anxiety, it’s also worth overcoming it; there are lots of benefits waiting for you on the other side of that fear.

“Showing up at a run club, you’re going to benefit from physical fitness, you’re going to benefit from movement, you’re going to benefit from collective experience,” Fitzgerald says.

So, lace up your shoes, muster up some courage, and give group running a try. You might gain more than you thought possible.