4 Reasons to Find Running Friends

Over the weekend, I met up with a few new running friends.

Before Saturday morning, I had not met any of these people in person. If you would have seen us running, you would have never known. The conversation flowed the entire 13 miles. In turn, the miles flew by. That’s always a good thing especially when it’s a 15 degree, frigid winter morning (which the pic above is NOT from).

I enjoy running by myself. I get to think and just do my own thing. But that can lead to boredom and a plateau. I’ve found myself running the same routes, at the same pace far too many times over the years. I’ve also become hesitant about running by myself at zero dark thirty after my creeper scare back in November.

Once I made the decision to run with a local running group one Saturday morning, 3 years ago, it made a huge difference in my running. While I still love my solo runs, the group runs have pushed me to get out of my comfort zone.

Mak­e New Friends
Runners share one thing in com­mon: a love of run­ning. Beyond that, you’ll find a range of age, pro­fes­sions, back­grounds, and other inter­ests. You’ll get the chance to meet peo­ple that you oth­er­wise might never have got­ten to know. And don’t worry about not having anything to say. You will be surrounded by runners – talk running!

Accountability
There’s some­thing about sched­ul­ing a run with a group of friends at a cer­tain time on a cer­tain day that just makes it eas­ier to com­mit to. It’s like stick­ing to any other kind of appoint­ment. With the daylight hours less and the temperatures freezing cold, it’s easy to blow off a run. But not if you have someone waiting for you.

Become a Better Runner
Do you do the same route, at the same speed, at the same time, for every single run? Joining a new group will take you out of your comfort zone. Maybe you have more speed in your legs than you thought. Maybe you’re bet­ter equipped for hills than you ever gave your­self credit. By try­ing dif­fer­ent things you might not have ever con­sid­ered try­ing on your own, you can learn more about your­self and what you can do.

Get the Scoop
Getting to know new runners is the per­fect place to get the scoop on race reviews, infor­ma­tion about shoe and gear likes/dislikes, great long run routes, etc. Plus, you may get the run down on the local gossip too.

If you have ever considered finding some new running friends – do it! Don’t worry about not knowing anyone. Don’t worry about not having the same pace. Don’t worry about slowing anyone down. It will all work out and you will have FUN!

Do you prefer solo runs or running with others?

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