Welcome to Community Running!

We are a fun running club in the Boston-metro area. We offer coached workouts each week and year round. Our workouts are perfect for everybody, regardless of age, experience or ability. Our core membership is made up of "middle-to-back-of-the-pack" runners who run for fun, fitness, and often for a good cause. Members also volunteer together.

Announcements and Upcoming Events

Summer 2013

We are planning our annual summer picnic -- stay tuned for details!

July 2013

Wednesday workouts have shifted to being along the river.

Next C25K class starts Monday, July 15! Target race is the Whole Foods 5K in Cambridge.

June 2013

The New England Relay is Fri/Sat, June 22-23, 2013. See newenglandrelay.com for details.

The 26x1 relay is Sat, June 23, at Tufts.

The shirts are here! If you'd like one and didn't pre-order, drop a line to info@communityrunning.org asking about shirts.

Our Workouts

Mondays

People start showing at 7pm at the MIT outdoor track, and at 7:15pm, we head out for an easy 1.6-mile warmup run. We then split into two groups. Coach Allison works with the 5K and 10K runners while Coach Brian works with the half- and full marathon runners.

Wednesdays

Meet on the south side of the Johnson Athletic Center starting at 7pm. At 7:15pm, Coach Ryan will send people off on a workout along the river. Ryan designs his workouts to be a good complement to Monday's workouts.

Saturdays

Saturdays are uncoached long runs, with everyone choosing their own distance. We meet on the ground floor (or just outside on the southeast corner) of the MIT student center starting at 8am. People leave no later than 8:15am. Some people just come for an easy 4 miles; others are in the midst of marathon training and are going for 14, 17, or 20 miles.

How Do I Join? What do I need to know?

It's really easy to join.

First, sign up for a free two-week trial membership. (Current members can renew their membership at that link as well.)
Then, we strongly encourage people to join our low-traffic mailing list to get news and announcements.

Then, just show up! We recommend people show up dressed to run (layer appropriately for weather) and bring your own water (there are no nearby drinking fountains). If you need to change, there are bathrooms available in the nearby buildings.

When you show up, please introduce yourself! Our members come and go as their schedules allow, so we may not spot a new face in the crowd.

If you're coming by T, get off at either the Kendall or Central stops on the Red Line. If you're coming by car, you can park anywhere along Vassar St. If you're lucky, you can get a parking spot across the street from the outdoor track, but you may need to head further west to find a spot. Parking is free after 6pm.

Twitter!

Tweets by @Community_Run

C25K Program

We also help mentor totally new runners. Never run before? Can't run a mile? Not a problem. Everyone has to start somewhere, and many of our members started with the Couch-to-5K Program (C25K). Our New Runners Program is for new runners looking for support and camaraderie.

New runners are ultimately responsible for their own running, but it sure helps to have a support network -- for instance, a community of runners! On Monday nights, one CR member will work with all the new runners to help people get started, answer questions, and generally be available to help out. As always, our coaches can answer your questions in detail either before or after the workout.

Program Starts... ...for 5K Race on
Jul 15, 2013 (Mon) Sep 15, 2013 (Sun) - Whole Foods 5K
Aug 26, 2013 (Mon) Nov 3, 2013 (Sun) - Luv 2 Run 5K
Oct 7, 2013 (Mon) Dec 8, 2013 (Sun) - Winter Classic 5K

Do I need to register? Can I start late?

No need to register, but it's helpful to know who is coming. Just drop us a line at info@communityrunning.org.

You can start the program late, but you may not be able to train up in time for the targeted 5K. Not to worry, though -- there are tons of 5K races going on all year!

Am I a new runner? Should I be joining the C25K program?

If running a 1.6 mile warmup loop doesn't sound daunting, you should just jump into our workouts. But if you haven't built up to running a full mile yet, then you should join our C25K program. When you show up, just let people know you're here for the C25K program -- we don't want to accidentally send you out on the warmup loop!

Featured Member

Once a month, we feature a different member here in this space.

When and why did you join CR?
July 2011. I was training for my first marathon (Cape Cod).

What are your current running goals?
Grandly speaking, 1, get to 10 marathons and 2, run all the majors (Chicago, Boston, New York, London, Berlin) plus Paris. I'd also like to get to 1200 miles run during the year, but given my recent injury, that's off the rails. No biggie. :)

What do you love about CR?
Besides the people? Hmm. The attitude: everyone is working hard, but nobody is being competitive with each other. It's really supportive.

What's your next running goal or race?
The Rockport half-marathon in August, the Smuttynose half-marathon in October, and then the Disney marathon next January. If I can punch my 5K PR in September, all the better. :)

Tell us stuff about yourself that isn't running-related.
I'm a sci-fi/fantasy geek (go go Star Wars and Harry Potter) and I like dressing up in costumes and making my own props (lightsabers, anyone?).