The Art of Running Alone: a tool to run mindfully
Tom Branch Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, June 2019
Regarding running alone, many people tell me that they would rather not - the “Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” and all that. Whenever possible, they try to run with a buddy or in a run group. And while running groups are definitely beneficial for many reasons, it doesn’t mean that running alone is lonely or the less preferred option. Indeed, there are many wonderful benefits to running with ourselves, and lots of runners love to run alone.
In my own life, my husband and I have tried to run together a variety of times, and it has ended in frustration (for both of us). At first, I was trying to speed up too much to try and catch him at this faster pace, and I would end up out of breath, sore, and discouraged. If he slowed down, he wasn’t really getting in the workout that was on his training plan and was increasingly frustrated by the slower pace. For now, we’ve agreed to run on our own, and it’s serving us well. More on that a little later.
Here are 5 benefits to running alone...
*Flexibility
In terms of scheduling, running alone may make the most sense. For me, an ever changing schedule of shift work is not always conducive to being part of a run group that meets at the same time each week. I can fit my running into the planner rather easily, and move workouts around as needed.
*Becoming one with the pace
For those just starting out in the sport, running alone can be very helpful to learn paces, and in particular, easy pace. If we are running alone, there is no need to try to push the pace to keep up with someone else or a group. We can truly find our easy pace and settle in there.
For more experienced runners, we can take this time alone to learn a variety of paces and what those feel like from head to toe. How do my legs feel during this speed workout? How is my breathing during this hill repeat? Learning what a given pace feels like can be so very useful for race day prep.
*Mental fitness
By running alone, we are also left alone with our thoughts. And by listening to our thoughts, we can work on our mental fitness. If we run a race, most of us will be running the race solo. So, it makes sense to train solo, at least sometimes, so that we can experience all of the thoughts that may come up during the race. A particularly rough patch of negative thoughts in training is not a bad thing at all. Working through these thoughts will provide us with the tools to develop resilience, and when they come up during a race, we will know how to tackle them well.
*Commitment
Without a friend, partner, or running group to hold us accountable for our workout, we must rely on ourselves to get it done. By heading out for our run each day, we are keeping that promise and commitment to wellness to ourselves. Our motivation comes from within, and that is truly powerful.
*Mindfulness
If you haven’t yet read Ditching the Headphones, have a quick look. If we run alone without distraction, we are more likely to enter a meditative, relaxing zone. Sometimes when I’m running alone, the thoughts simply melt away. Other times, I think some of my most creative thoughts while on the run.
So what happens if you have a very dear running buddy, but for a variety of reasons, you want to try running alone? What does this look like for me and the husband on a weekend long run that we want to run “together”? We start and end at the same point, at the same time. He just covers more distance than I do during that time. And then we go for breakfast afterward! In this way, we can run at our own pace, and not worry about holding the other back or running at a pace that is too speedy for our current level of fitness and risking injury.
For this week’s challenge, I would encourage you to try a solo workout (without headphones). Try being alone with your thoughts and just see what happens. Be sure to write your thoughts in your training journal, and let us know how it goes on our Facebook page!