The art of good Pack Running
Pack running is harrier running. You may be a new member or an old member. But for everyone the key to an enjoyable run on club days is a good pack run.

Put yourself in the role of pack leader (this may just happen one day - if it hasn't already). Where would you go? What pace would you run? What would you do if someone suffered an injury? Hopefully the following suggestions will provide some answers.

A good pack stays together - this means not just for 40 minutes of a 1 hour run. The idea of a pack run is to run at the pace of your companions, so it may be a little slower than normal. Don't worry, this gives you an excuse to chat! Occasionally a pack will split into more than one group. If this occurs, the designated pack leader should delegate responsibility of other members to look after the sub-packs. And if you feel the need to sprint off the front for the last km of a pack run, perhaps you should consider a time trial instead.

Take care at road crossings - the pack leader should ensure road crossings are done in a safe place (preferably

at a pedestrian crossing or overbridge/underpass). In most cases, the best approach is to stop and regather the group, and cross as one.

Direction - pack leaders should have a good idea of where they are going, with a mind on how long before they get back to the clubrooms. Remember, if you don't know where you're group's going, they won't know either!

Pace - Choose a pack that you think you will be able to stick with for the duration of the run. There's no point joining a 4min/km pack if your race pace is 4:30/km. If in doubt, be conservative and choose a slower pack than you think you normally might. You can always go with the faster group next week. There's nothing worse than being left behind! A good pack leader leads from the back. Or to put it another way, the group should run at the pace of its slowest member.