Several running friends and acquaintances I know train on their own. I used to too.
Not to say "this is wrong and this is right" - who am I to judge after all.. But.
It's just easier when you run with a group and have a coach. I don't just mean the technicalities and logistics of it - how much to run (in time or distance?), when, how much on which day, how to vary your training (with intervals, fartleks, tempo's, long goal-pace, easy recovery pace, strength training , etc), - though that's very important. How will you get support on longer runs (water, electrolytes, food)?
A group, more a community really, nourished by good coaches and members, is something I and so many friends have been lucky enough to enjoy for many years now: I run with Runner's High in Bangalore, a brilliant example of what a good community is like and can guide us to achieve. Not just in running.
My coach, Santhosh P, furnished me with a schedule to train for the upcoming Nilgiris Ultra (50k). Without it I'd be stabbing in the dark as to how exactly to approach and train for a challenge like this. More to the point, there were so many runs on which I'm sure I would have convinced myself to just "take it easy" or even just skip. But knowing that he's watching my running log goes a long way to ensuring that I do it, stick to schedule. (That's perhaps really the most important thing: stick to schedule and it all falls into place). Consistency is key.
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