My training for the half marathon has been really sporadic (or, in other words, half-assed), so it felt good to get in 2 great runs this week.
I normally prefer to run alone, particularly for short distances, but this weekend completely converted me to running with a friend. On Thursday, we ran 3 miles and she pushed me into the fastest running pace I’ve ever maintained (a little over a 10:30/mile), plus caught up on each other’s lives and some gossip from our circle of friends.
This weekend, I needed to run 7 miles in order to (a) get back on training schedule and (b) prepare for the 8 mile race I’m running next weekend, the Yorktown Victory Run.
Last year, I ran the first 4 miles, then alternated between walking and running the last 4. This year, my goal is to run the whole damn thing and to properly have trained for it.
So since my friend is also planning to run it, we made plans to run together on Sunday as well. I think on my own, I would have given up somewhere between mile 5.5 and 6.5, but having her there, I was able to push through, find some hidden reserves, and complete the training run. There’s something about having someone to talk to, even about mindless things (we talked about The Hunger Games, hot boys, and summer clothing), in order to make the run seem shorter and more manageable. When I started to flag, she told me to focus on my breathing while she told me a story. When we were in that last mile, she looked at her GPS watch to help count down the mileage for me. And when we were stretching afterwards, she told me how it made the time go by so much faster for her as well.
I’m glad that I didn’t slow her down too much and that she seems to enjoy running together as much as I do. As we both enter the longer runs in our half marathon training plans, it’s so nice to know that I have someone I can turn to as a friend, motivator, and running buddy to help me both show up for the run and then complete it.
Do you run alone or with someone? Indoors on the treadmill or outside?
