I was lucky to find a group through a coworker who's also into running. We just show up at the local park on Sundays and run together. No fuss, no drama. Don't need any online stuff for me. Just a bunch of folks who like to run and chat about it afterwards.
PF is a real pain (literally). I've had it on and off for years. Tried all the usual stuff, but what worked for me was taking a break from running and focusing on strength training. Built up my ankle and calf muscles and it seemed to help. Not a quick fix, but it's been manageable since.
Yeah, yeah, inspiration, dedication, yadda yadda. We've all heard it before. What's your point?