Today I want to talk about my personal experience with solo running. I'm by nature a very sociable person, but I am also quite fond of my alone time. Holding a full time job and having a relatively busy social life means I don't often get the chance to gather my thoughts and be alone in peaceful solitude. I often get taunted by my friends if I suggest staying home hanging on my good old couch instead of having a night out. Yeah, friends don't always support my couch surfing and netflixing abilities and it becomes a problem having to defend my stance without seeming like a boring couch potato...
When my life gets turned upside down with responsibilities and when working in an office environment gets my brain going, solo running is the one moment I can enjoy my solitude. I'm one with my body, my mind, my silence. I focus on my breathing, I focus on the aches, in essence I'm getting to know parts of me that I didn't know existed. It quiets the world around me and gets me in a hyper focussed state of mind, in which all that matters is starting and finishing a run, and the lessons learned in between these two points in time. Simplicity is bliss. I guess the great thing about solo running is that it helps me to disconnect. I learned to run without music whilst marathon training mainly due to my fear that my phone's battery would run out after 4 hours of road pounding on race day. Ever since then, I have treated my solo and quiet runs as holy parts of my routine...no music means listening to any element both inside and outside of myself.
No matter what state of mind I'm in, sad, happy, restless, numb...my alone time on the road helps me connect back to my core. It helps me to silence the noise and to reset my mind. I would guess any person fiercely passionate about a sport, instrument or a hobby will understand what it is to lose yourself completely in a moment. And as much as I do occasionally enjoy running with a friend, I don't think I could ever lose my innate love for my solo runs.
Yes, running with a friend will push you beyond your comfort zone, and makes grabbing a beer after your run so much more enjoyable. I know that at some point I will need to find the right balance between running alone and teaming up with others and I'm okay with that. Because in order to become a better runner I have to get out of my comfort zone, and running with a buddy will help me learn about different paces and will help expand my knowledge by the sharing of stories. And, who am I kidding, some of the most enjoyable conversations about running are shared with those that share this passion. And that's extremely cool!
So, is solo running a good idea? I know in my case it is. It's something that became part of me during my long runs on the weekends. In order to guarantee I would finish my first marathon, I had to learn to rely solely on myself. Not an easy task, but an experience worth exploring. I am a more tenacious runner these days thanks to the effort and the struggles I endured those first long runs alone on Sundays. And as I continue to explore new ways to progress, including opening myself to the possibility of teaming up with a running buddy, I would advice anyone wondering about solo running to give it a try but if you want to also consider a running buddy read the experience of our guest blogger The Running Nut here!
Are you looking for ideas for meals in preparation for your long runs? Follow the image below!
