I love Zwift and have logged alot of miles using it over the past year.
I would love to see more support for Beginning Riders and runners though.
For cycling, 95% of the events are set with the bottom end of the Avg Watts level being 1.5 and higher. I have had to work really hard to get there, but that was mostly solo rides.
This is a great tool, especially for beginners. So, why not have more beginner group rides?! How about adding more .5 - 2 D rides, so more people can get the benefits and motivation from riding on group rides???
Same applies to running. I quit using the running portion of Zwift because I was walking so slowly, even when I was running on the treadmill. There really is something to be said for seeing yourself running in the app, when you are running on a treadmill, even when you pace is 20:00 minute miles.
With regard to the ride pace, I don’t think this is a Zwift issue so much as a demand issue. It is generally clubs on Zwift that host the rides and pick the pace, so perhaps there just hasn’t been enough demand for rides at that pace you are suggesting. You might contact Zwift about setting up and leading such a ride, and see what sort of participation there is. If there is enough demand perhaps other clubs will then start up additional rides.
As for the walking vs. running of the avatar: that’s a tough one. Average walking pace is 3-4 miles an hour, so from that POV it makes sense that avatars would be seen walking, as opposed to running, at a 20-minute mile pace. This is somewhat akin to when the cycling avatar stands out of the saddle. I am certainly not always standing when my avatar is, nor am I always sitting when my avatar is. But Zwift have to make some assumptions about when we are standing vs. sitting since they can’t actually see us while training (thankfully!). Perhaps this will happen someday, if CyclingDynamics is ever integrated to Zwift (and the user has the correct hardware). Until then, though, some of the actions of our avatars will continue to be based on generalizations.
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Great points. Thank you, Nigel
!
Hi Molly! I too am among the riders who hadn’t been able to join rides because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up… I just did the FTP builder training and I think that really helped. One idea that I have is if you know others who Zwift who are stronger than you, you can form a group ride with them and set it up with the rubberbanding function turned on. I was invited to go with a group a few weeks ago and it was great! I worked really hard and they helped me out. My husband, who usually rides outside, created a meetup ride with me on Halloween and it was great fun. Without rubberbanding, he would have to go so slowly that it wouldn’t be much of a workout for him or he would quickly disappear into the distance, but with it, we stay together. Route and sprint times are then not accurate, but if that doesn’t bother anyone, it is really fun. My first rubberbanding ride was up the Alpe du Zwift, which I never would have tackled on my own.
Thanks for the heads up about running. I have been daydreaming about getting a treadmill and running on Zwift as well, but I am already jogging at 4 mph (3.6 is the absolute fastest I can walk without jogging), and I would be pretty sad to have my avatar walking along while I’m running 
, so maybe I won’t go for that just yet.
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I too love Zwift. It’s a completely new world to me, and I find the learning curve very steap. Like you, Molly, I’ve been missing rides dedicated beginners - I need to learn how to use Zwift, but I also need to learn how to stay in the saddle (cyckling is rather new to me) and how to deal with pain from maladjusted clamps and saddle. It’s a lot to take in, and I don’t think beginners can be expected also to understand, that we have to express our need for a beginner friendly environment our selves. I admit my initially thought was, that I was in far to bad shape to be here at all. And that’s rather foolish, since the reason I’m here at all, is my wish to get in better shape and hopefully have some fun at the same time.
Therefor, like you, I have been doing solo rides to improve my w/kg so I can participate in a suitable race some day. I must say I’ve been missing some company.
Yesterday I found a group for women; they are riding a recovery ride (sub 1.5 W/kg), and I’ve decided to join (later today).
Molly, if you wish, we can ride together some day. Look for L.Hougaard, Denmark 
I wish all a nice day!
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Hi @Lise_Hougaard and welcome to the community! Have a look for ZER Zwift Easy Riders, I participated in a ride with that group last week and it was great! Really nice group with lots of chat and encouragement. It was between 0.8 and 1.2 w/kg. I also want to try riding with the HERD, but haven’t found a time that works for me yet. Are you using the companion app? You can scroll through group rides there (adjust filters to group ride so there isn’t so much to look through) and then click on the ride to see the w/kg, route and other information. You can also access information via these websites: https://zwifthacks.com/app/events/?key=5c2b64410cfd9&fbclid=IwAR3vifCK-GeNkx-JeWvPdIyAb-yTtTgxJAsuz_uQlK4ukn3Vh0jm38Z8hpE and https://zwift.com/events
The Zwift Insider is a fun place to look around and read up on things too: https://zwiftinsider.com/category/tips/training/ I hope some of this helps! And hope to see you out there.
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Hi @Beth_Klawun
Thank you very much. I looked at ZER and HERD, and it looks relevant except it’s in the middle of the night for me.
For now I’m okay riding recovery rides with Team Fearless. It’s not recovery for me, though, but I’m doing okay as long as the road is farely flat 
Thx for the tips - they are very helpful and much appreciated! Hope to see you to out there too.