Did you know that we have our very own online running club? Run Mummy Run Community Run Club (RMR CRC) is now into its third year. You can see our FAQs here, but we wanted to put together a more detailed explanation of how an online running club works and what you can expect if you join.
An online running club is an alternative to a traditional running club, but offers many of the same benefits and perks.
Not all of us can get to a traditional running club easily. Typically, running clubs meet in a set location on a set day and at a set time. This doesn’t always fit in with life, making it hard to make the sessions – this is actually one of the reasons Run Mummy Run was founded by its creator Leanne Davies (read our story here). Not everyone feels comfortable in a traditional running club either, and it can take time to find the right fit for you. There are advantages to a traditional running club, particularly in that it helps you meet local runners in person, gives you company on your runs and helps you discover new routes in your area. Usually a mixture of runs are offered over the course of a month and these help to improve your running ability.
Online vs traditional running clubs
However, traditional running clubs don’t work for everyone, and that’s why online running clubs exist. An online club like RMR CRC gives you the chance to be a part of a club in your own time. You still get set specific coached running sessions to help build on your running skills, but you can get out and do these whenever you like to suit your schedule. We have an in-house coach who sets these sessions weekly, with adaptions to make them easier or harder so that you can work at your own pace. You can then check in to let us know how you got on and discuss the session with others.
As well as the weekly coached sessions, there is a virtual social run once a week, which again you can do when it suits you but offering motivation by knowing you’re not out there running alone – your club members are doing it too! We also offer accountability posts every week to help you set your goals and stick to them, as well as check-ins with our coach where you can ask your burning questions. Most of this is provided through a private Facebook Group just for members, but we also provide a membership pack listing all your perks and benefits upon joining and a monthly newsletter summing up everything for the last month in one place.
Something that RMR CRC offers that many other online running cubs don’t is the fact that we have our own experts on board. You can read more about them at the bottom of the page here. Our experts give professional advice on everything from injury prevention and Pilates, to nutrition, strength and conditioning to make you a stronger runner.
And, because RMR CRC is an affiliated EA running club, we get an allocated London Marathon spot for a lucky club member, just like a traditional running club.
Can I still enter races as a club member like a traditional running club if I join an online running club?
Yes! We have our own registered club vest which shows that you’re a member of a running club, and you can choose Run Mummy Run Community Run Club as your club when you enter races or at parkrun.
However, you can’t run as an affiliated club member unless you opt to become an EA Affiliated athlete through RMR CRC. Whether you join a traditional running club or an online running club, you will generally have the option to be a ‘social member’ – which means that you can access the club training and coaching sessions – or an ‘affiliated member’ – which means that you can enter races as a club runner and have your club listed by your name in the results. There are lots of benefits to being EA affiliated on top of a social membership, including a discount on race fees for any events you enter, as well as other perks and discounts.
You must be an affiliated member if you wish to put your name in the hat for a London Marathon club spot, as these places are only offered to EA-registered runners by the race organisers.
You can be an RMR CRC member with or without EA affiliation – but if you do a few races then it’s definitely worth becoming affiliated as well (this carries a separate charge levied by England Athletics). We cover this in a little more detail in our FAQs here.
I’m already a member of the Run Mummy Run community group. Why should I join RMR CRC as well?
RMR CRC is affiliated with England Athletics as a registered running club, and our membership is open to all women who run – you don’t have to be part of the main Run Mummy Run Community group, but the vast majority of our RMR CRC members are also in the main community and get different benefits from being in both.
The main community group is the perfect place to chat with other runners, share your runs, get motivation and support, find fellow runners in your local area, discuss all topics related to running and ask questions. This group is free to join and will always be a safe, private and supportive space for all women.
RMR CRC is a more specific offering for those who are looking to improve their running and access training resources. There is a monthly or annual fee, which provides membership to the running club, with the option to also add on EA affiliation. There is a separate members-only group that is run with the same ethos as the main Run Mummy Run community group, but conversation is targeted around running performance, injury prevention, training for an event, coaching tips, expert advice and much more to help improve your running – whatever that means to you; we have women at all stages of their running journey.
Find out more about RMR CRC and see how to sign up here: https://www.runmummyrun.co.uk/community-run-club/