Runners Put Feet To Pavement With Weekly Group

They're crazy.

But, in a good way–really. At least, that's according to Laurel English, a runner with The Running Company's Thursday night beginner runner's group.

"I didn't start out crazy," the Morristown resident said. "Two years ago I was on Weight Watchers, and I'd lost enough weight to go for a walk. Then, I wondered if I could run. Then, I found out I liked it."

Thirty-nine pounds lighter than when she began her diet, English has been running with the group for a year.

Heather Gardiner, a manager with The Running Company's Morristown store for seven years, said it's better to run with a group, for motivation and camaraderie. Though maybe some may need it more than her. The triathlete and competitor in events like the Boston and New York Marathons (where she placed 24th in both in 2002 and 2004, respectively) runs about 40 miles a week, half as much as she used to. "I'm getting old," she laughs.

Gardiner said The Running Company has held running groups for as long as she can remember, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. About eight-to-10 people usually turn out for the Thursday night group, most of them regulars, she said.

Lori Hoenes, of Morris Township, has run with the group for six months. "It's hard to do it on my own. I don't do it on my own," she said.

But she does with the group, and has done it enough that she recently participated in her first half-marathon, a 13.1-mile event. "That was huge," Hoenes said. "At the end, I felt like I'd climbed a mountain."

Desiree Martin Del Campo, of Morris Plains, joined the group in January. She has since participated in the New York City Marathon, as well as 50 half-marathons. "I'm slightly addicted," she said. 

Martin Del Campo said you're held accountable when committing to run with a group, which helps keep you from slipping. "You feel like you're cheating if you're not," she said.

In a few weeks, many in the group will head to Philadelphia for another half-marathon, which English said she was excited to do with those she has met through the Thursday evening running group.

"It's great camaraderie," she said. "We have to push each other a little."