Running Lessons

Running Solo

I started running on July 7, 2007, with my sister. She wanted to learn to run, and I had tried so many times on my own and failed, that it seemed a perfect opportunity to give it another shot.

We made it to the 20 min mark and I just kept going from there. For some reason, though, I decided that I preferred running on my own. So for the last 3 years I’ve run solo. I’ve trained for and completed 5 half-marathons, all on my own.  Whenever someone suggested that I run with one of the local groups, I’d usually respond, “yeah, I should try that…sometime,” with no real intention of following through.

You Never Know Until You Try

Tonight I decided to meet some friends at a local running store, and give this whole group running thing a chance. I had nothing else planned and the weather was perfect for a run.

And you know what?

I love running with people! I thought I’d picked a run/walk group but realized about halfway through that it was 35-40 min of straight running. It worked out ok, though, and I was able to keep up quite easily. I even made a new friend!

I thought that I didn’t like to talk and run at the same time, that I liked the solitude of running alone. And I do. But as it turns out, I also enjoy the camaraderie of running with a group. We ran along a route that I wouldn’t have picked on my own, at a pace a bit faster than I’m used to, for longer than I usually run. All in all, it was just enough to challenge me and still be fun.

So to add to my summer of lessons – you never know until you try! If you’ve been thinking about doing something but just haven’t gotten around to it – make some time and give it a go. You might just discover a new love!