It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the importance of a running buddy. An accountability partner. Someone who you make a date to meet on the regular, or periodically. It doesn’t matter the cadence, it matters that the person or group is there when you need them.
I forgot this simple rule of running. It’s hard. And it’s a mental game as much as a physical game. If you’re used to doing it with a buddy, or a group, it’s harder to do it alone.
As I was thinking about writing this up, I was remembering the group I used to run with. We called ourselves The Congregation. Why? Because a non-runner friend of mine who heard we ran on Sundays equated us to attending church and so named the group.
I would so look forward to those runs I would sometimes email on Tuesday or Wednesday to get everyone psyched up for a Sunday long run. It was the highlight of my week.
We would run around Central Park, pick up my wife for the last 3-4 miles and then head to breakfast where we would sit over coffee for hours. We would do this all year round from the hottest muggiest days of the summer to the coldest snowiest days of the winter.
And then a couple of us moved to Boston. And then another got married and stopped coming. And then I got married. And then we had a son. And a few of us got older and slowed down some. And well, things got harder and scheduling became an issue.
We’re now down to two regulars with me making an appearance every few months.
And to be honest, this has messed up my training more than I ever thought possible.
But last weekend, just before my long run I got a text from a friend I run with a few times a year.
And on Sunday, we ran together. And I am forever grateful to him for reminding me that I don’t have to do it alone.
Look, it’s one thing to run the odd solo 18-miler during while training for a marathon. It’s quite another to go through the entire training season alone.
Here’s what week 10 of NYC Marathon training looked like.
Love Dan ! #Go PPTC