I'll be honest with you, I never was a fan of running with a partner. I used to run with Snickers sometimes but that was only because of the competitive side of me wanted to hit the path and kick his cute tush -- show him that I wasn't just some girl but that I was fierce; that I'm a real athlete.
I started hosting a weekly event which I've called ROBO Time -- it stands for Running Our Butts Off. It's actually for the ladies of Flipside Fitness; my attempt at keeping them on their toes with training while we wait for our boxing club to be up and running.
The response I've been getting out for ROBO Time has been definitely less than expected but I will say that the one lady who has been coming out has been very encouraging to train with. She's not exactly a beginner though she says she is. I think a lot of people actually don't give themselves due credit and sell themselves short; she is definitely one of them. Tonight this particular gal and I headed out for a run after another Flipside Fitness gal posted on her personal Facebook page that she was going running. It was the first time I had met this particular lady so of course I had never trained with her either.
When I left my house, I turned to Snickers and told him that I'd be back in an hour... hour and a half max.
I showed up two hours later.
In between the time I left my house and the time I returned, I had met this new lady and together with the other gal we had clocked in 17km. I don't know what I was really expecting from this run but it proved to be super motivating and very inspiring. I honestly wasn't expecting to go for as long as a run as we had considering last night I had clocked in 15km -- 32km in two days, woozers, but I felt awesome. Don't get me wrong, I returned home with jelly legs and throbbing heels because of last week's injury, but I didn't care. Nothing a good foot massage from Snickers couldn't solve!
I'm definitely sold on running partners, wow. Never thought there'd be a day when I would ever say this but it's so true. Running solo is so yesterday. With the two butt-kicking gals by my side tonight, we ran and ran... and ran... and we returned feeling like a million bucks, shocked at each other's awesomeness!
My Top Ten Reasons Why a Running Partner Kicks Butt:
1. PACING
While it’s great that you can run at your own pace when running solo, a partner definitely helps you keep a steady pace and can even challenge your pace, making you run faster.
2. COMMITMENT
It’s much harder to bail on training when you've made a commitment with a running partner. It's not exactly like you can just not show. Moreover, having a running partner definitely decreases the number of training sessions you skip out on because of your social responsibility to them.
3. ENJOYMENT
As they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and while training may be hard, the accompaniment of a running partner and all your chatting while out running definitely helps the time go by and makes the run certainly more enjoyable too. Tonight we ran so much but also talked so much. We definitely got lost in our conversation as we went lap by lap around the lake and then we had a good giggle trying to remember just how many laps we actually did.
4. MOTIVATION
There's nothing quite like being on the verge of giving up and having a partner there with you to give you some words of encouragement and push you further. I saw this tonight, when one of the girls lagged and said she didn't think she could go on. "Just one more -- you can do it", and with that she totally did! A little encouragement goes a long way and in tonight's case it went an extra 2.3km!
5. BAD HABIT-BREAKING
It's hard to change bad habits. They're things we do over and over, both consciously and unconsciously, consequently we often don't even know we have them or do them. You may not see your bad habits but the possibility of your training partner seeing them is pretty high. The idea here is that they will help you break your bad habits, or at least call you out on them. I used to have a bad habit of not stretching before or after training, that is until I started running with my husband and he called me out on it. Now I always stretch.
6. GOOD HABIT-MAKING
This really goes hand in hand with bad habit-breaking because often the bad habits are replaced with good habits. One good habit that running with a partner has brought about in my own personal training
7. TIPS
Whether it's tips on mapping out your pre-race training schedule, what to eat for post and pre-training meals, or simply where to get great runners, running with a partner proves to be quite a great extra brain to pick for information.
8. CONTAGIOUS ENERGY
Nothing is quite like finishing a great run that proved to be longer or faster than you expected and sharing in the enjoyment of the moment with a running partner. This has definitely been one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy training with a running partner. Tonight I was so incredibly impressed with just how long the gals ran that upon returning home I popped on Facebook and sent out mad shout-outs for them. I knew they were proud, so they should be. I was damn proud of them. Energy is contagious and not only is it contagious but it feeds off of itself and grows -- it snowballs and hits everyone that comes into contact with it. I'll never forget crossing the finish line at last year's Cheonan Sangnok Resort half marathon. I had just ran 21km and was physically exhausted but I was so eager to hear about the success of the 25 others I had gone there with so I ran around, searching them out. Many of them had beat their personal best times while others rejoiced in completing their first ever race. Everyone was so proud of their success -- it was so amazing -- and we all left feeling like pro-star champs!
9. SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Regardless of whether you're training during the day or super late at night like I usually do, there is certainly a sense of security that comes with a running partner. If something were to happen to one of you, like a twisted ankle or slip on the ice, a running partner can obviously assist you. Moreover, though Korea is very safe, you can never be too safe and many people, particularly females, are uncomfortable training at night alone. No worries, there definitely is safety and strength in numbers.
10. CONFIRMED COMMITMENT
Not only is it harder to skip out on a training run because of your running partner depending on but there are also other commitments related to your training that you have to fufill. Making sure you have clean training clothes available, scheduling your day/week around your training, eating properly before and after a run which means also making sure you get your clean grocery shopping done, and so forth. With a running partner, there's now a deeper and wider commitment you have that goes way beyond just being committed to them. Consequently, you're now much more committed to getting fit and staying healthy and I'm sure you had no idea you'd be when you first agreed to a running partner. That's pretty awesome and talk about super beneficial!!!
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