A weekend ago, one of my MCM friends joined me for a RunZone club run – which is, of course, a much larger attended session than a session of our small regular training group. We run at a similar pace, and during our run, we talked about how refreshing it was to not be at the back of the pack but surrounded by so many other runners also running at our pace.

Our conversation made me think of all the various elements one needs in a support group.

A wise quote, of which the author the internet seems to be in disagreement about, goes like this: ‘If you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.’ If I draw a parallel between this quote and a running community, I would say that always being the fastest in your group is impressive, but it’s not necessarily going to push you to push harder.

But always being the slowest is not that great either – and I would know… You need a little bit of a mix of both. Someone to be inspired by that can push you. And peers at your level to not always make you feel like it’s your first time at a gym or your first day at a new job.

The reality is, however, that it is not always a given that you are going to find that mix – especially not when attempting something new. You are more likely to be the inexperienced one for some time – even a long time. But you shouldn’t let that deter you from starting. It is a great thing to venture out of your comfort zone. And you never know who you might inspire by being that peer making it easier for them to also take the leap.

And before you know it, you might even become an expert.

What community or group have you joined that you were initially scared to do, but afterwards realised was probably one of your best life decisions?