Running alone!

M_lifts

Does anyone else like running alone? Im afraid im quite selfish and like to put my music on and run by myself. Discovered this a little while ago! As found myself dodging requests for people who wanted to run with me! lol

One of my friends wants to come run with me but she says she gets bored and likes to chat! Not really my thing lol! We are both running together in a 5k and said we'd train together. Hmm not sure what to do! Maybe i'll train a couple of times with her and during the race do my own thing!

tamcrit

I LOVE running alone...it is my time inside my own head, enjoying the world around me!! I also just put on my music and tune out for a while. I have trained with groups in the past and with friends, but now find that I enjoy going it alone most of the time. I will occasionally run with a friend, but still generally use my headphones. Even when I run races with friends, we have always just done our own pace and not run together. I think trying to stay together would really throw me off. I have a funny story about running with a friend...I am 5'6" and not really a fast runner (about a 10:30 minute mile) and I ran once with a male friend who is 6'4" and very fit. He was quite a gentleman and said I could set the pace, but he was basically walking keeping up with me. It didn't really work, and was really funny...we ended up just walking together and enjoying the sunset. Hope you can work out a compromise. Happy training!!

AggieCass09

running is MY time to resolve everything going on in my head.

I dont listen to music or talk to people. I just run.

With my lab who is the BEST running buddy ever!

Black_Swan

I think its totally ok to explain to her that you prefer running alone. Its your thing. Dont let anyone else get into it, if you prefer doing it alone. I also like running alone a lot more!

ESVABelle

I avoid running with people as well. I tuck my ID in my sports bra & my phone (diabetic, need to have access if s**t goes down) - leash up my bullmastiff and go.

2 girls in my neighborhood try to run with me and I'm like...I'm going later or I just ate or...something. Love them to death, but running is MY time. One of them is a n00b and doesn't run. The other is 19, size 2 and ran cross country in high school...so she dusts me (not anymore, but she used to).

My dog is my pacer. We are in similar shape - muscular but thick, LoL. He is the perfect running partner. Until he needs to potty, LoL. But that's my time. I don't want to run with anyone else.

BobbyDaniel

I run alone, mainly because I have no choice in the matter. I run faster and longer than my wife, so unless I change up my training schedule running with her isn't much of an option.
Personally I would love to get involved in a group run at some point, just not much of an option in our little town.

fteale

I used to always run alone as I was too self conscious to let anyone else see how crap I was. Now I still mostly run on my own, but do a run once a week with a couple of friends, who are much more experienced than me, so it makes me work to keep up.

mdagenb

You can even consider telling her you'll run "with her" but not really "with her" if that makes sense. I've been training with a friend who is MUCH faster than I am and runs a longer distance than I do, however, we meet up together in the mornings for our long run day and start together but then go at our own pace. She runs ahead of me and I just keep chuggin along at the pace I like. Then at the end of our run, we meet together and stretch. For me, its just nice having someone relying on you to meet up. Its someone you can share the experience with but still doing it on your own. It def helps keep me motivated thats for sure!

soccermum75

Oh! Maria, don't worry. I am the same. My sister keeps asking me to go run with her but I much prefer to run alone. I don't know anyone who runs and who lives close by so I am used to doing my own thing. Truthfully, I would refuse to go with someone else, I just enjoy my time alone, away from the chaos of home.

emmaleigh47

I love my running partner -- I have someone to chat with before and after ... and someone to yell at me to speed up, but neither of us are talkers...

I think i would be more a talker if I could ... but Im soo short of breath hehe... so we run ... 6.2 miles in relative silence... maybe a phrase here and there but thats it...

I love it:
I just found out our running coach is running the WHOLE half marathon with me this weekend ... as much as I appreciate it... Im kinda ummm bummed about it too hehe ... he likes to shout encouraging things... but its gets annoying after a while too !

RoseCoreling

I NEVER run with people! I like doing my own thing when I run, so if it's me running down a different path/trail, I don't want to have to have a conversation about it with the person next to me if that's okay. I also don't want them to have to keep up with me/keep up with them, etc. I would just tell your friend that you really prefer going alone and no hard feelings!! I'm sure she would understand.

1goodymom67

I do enjoy running by myself. All my running partners stopped running. It is nice to go alone but it take serious discipline. You can easily say ahh no one is waiting for me I don't have to run today. Definatley there are pluses to it.

dsjohndrow

I am the opposite, I feel more encouraged when I am with someone; even if we have headphones on. I just can't seem to find anyone, though I see a number of runners at 5:45 each morning...

I have a friend that I do 5Ks with, but he is faster than I am, so we start together and I catch him at the finish line. We don't live near each other anymore - so of course we train alone.

I say, whatever you like best, communicating that to others is the trick.

emmaleigh47

Oh but I have to add my husband is much happier now that I have a running partner ( especially because its a guy) because he feels I am much much safer... he was not so keen about some of my long runs in the middle of no where on trails in the middle of no where alone... and I have to say I like having a partner for that reason too ... and I will REALLY like the partner in the winter because running alone at night in the dark was always quite creepy

GenerationD05

I started the C25K program three weeks ago, but I already know that I like running/walking on my own. It gives me the time for myself not to necessarily to solve all the things in my head but just to simply think about things. I like to listen to music because I feel like it makes the time pass faster too and if I don't want to think anymore, I can sing the songs in my head and run to the beat. I'd bring my dog with me, but she likes to literally smell every single thing... she's the worst running/walking buddy ever haha.

LittleMissAlx

I much prefer running alone. Like to put my music on and just run in my own little world. I'm actually concerned that I'm going to hate races because I'm quite antisocial in normal life and having other people running around me would be weird

Anyway. I would totally explain to your friend that you like running alone, or if you're afraid of offending her, perhaps don't do it very often. You might not run at the same pace anyway so you might find after one attempt that it just doesn't work out.

MissFit0101

I have always run alone simply because I don't have anyone to run with. I used to think that I would want someone to run with but the more I think about it, I probably wouldn't like it much, LOL. I like to set my own pace and get lost in thought when I run.

maura1110

Maybe since you said you would train with her you could go on runs together but just establish ahead of time that you're going to listen to music and each go at your own pace. One of my good friends is a much faster runner than me, and we run together all the time. We just go to the boardwalk, both put our headphones on, go our own pace and meet up at the end. It works out really well. There's no pressure for me to go faster but it does motivate me sometimes to run a little further if I know that my friend is there and has already run more than me.

RMinVA

As someone already said, it's MY time to sort out stuff in my head, so I have no issues running alone. It also can be hard to find someone that you are well paced with, has the same schedule, yadda, yadda, yadda. Most of my friends that run are significantly slower or faster than me. Mostly faster though, so my preferene when I do run w/someone is to run with a fast friend: it makes me work a bit harder.

I love entering races w/friends though. We usually all start out together, unless we are in different corrals. then go our merry way for the race since we all usually have different agendas, race strategies, etc. Makes for a very fun after party though!

rybo

I generally run alone.
I did pick up a running partner while training for my marathon, we'd do most of our long runs together. After a few of them I ended up being much faster & we'd just meet at the end to stretch.

If I had someone the same speed & who was a good conversationalist, a run every now and then might be fun. But any more than that I don't think I could deal with it. I like to do my own thing when I run & zone out.

lclarkjr

Yep, I'm a loner, too. Not that I wouldn't run with someone else, but it seems none of my friends are crazy enough to join me. I offer, but they always politely decline.