Running: Alone vs Groups
Do you enjoy your alone time while you run? Or maybe it’s the peace and quiet of your surroundings. Or do you prefer to run with others? Maybe you are a social butterfly. According to Runner’s World, there are pros and cons to both running alone and running with a group.
Running alone can be a great way to get in your daily work
out; it allows you to focus on your running technique, speed, and breathing. In
addition, it allows you to set your own running pace, which is helpful for
those recovering from injury. Running alone can also help prevent injury.
Experts say running with a group that is faster can help increase your speed,
but running faster than your normal pace too much can overwork your body and lead
to injuries. Lastly, for runners training to race, running alone can mentally
prepare you for race day. Seeing as you run alone during a race, running alone
during training helps you to pace yourself and become independent during races.
Running with a group is also beneficial to a runner. One
benefit of running with a group is motivation. When running alone, it may be
hard to finish a run, maintain a good pace, or even start running. It’s easy to
just say “I’ll just run later” or “I can skip my run today”; however, when you
plan on running with a group, you know that people are expecting you to go run
with them. It is a lot harder to cancel your run or end early. Also, by running
with others, it is easier to get distracted from your negative thoughts and
make the run seem a lot shorter than it is. Another benefit to group running is
speed. Maintaining a steady pace on your own may be difficult, and switching
from your normal pace may seem impossible. But, when running with others, you
can push each other to maintain a steady pace and, when running with a faster
group, help you to increase your running pace.
The trick to running is to get a good balance of both
running alone and in a group. Those who run alone might benefit from running
with a faster group. Those who constantly run with others may be able to become
more self-sufficient by running alone. Personally, I prefer to run alone, but I
like to occasionally run with friends who are faster in order to increase my
pace and get a better idea of where I am at compared to others.
Happy Running,
Danielle Renee ♥
