Canadian Running – September-October 2019

Party

of One

The agony and advantages

of running alone

O

pen almost any training manual and

you’ ll find a paragraph or two extol-

ling the benefits of group running. In

Running for Women, Kara Goucher argues

that running in groups elevates everyone. In

The Art of Running Faster, Julian Goater and

Don Melvin warn that running alone isn’t

fun, nor is it the best way for runners to reach

their full potential. Those who must train

solo should get creative, advises Grete Waitz

in Run Your First Marathon. She suggests

stationing friends and family members along

running routes and enlisting children as

bike support. In Marathon Renegade, Kirk

Mahoney makes an 18-point argument

endorsing group training and in another list,

critiques nine common objections to it.

My own experience of training with

groups for the past 15 years, backs up all of

the above advice. Chasing teammates – and

being chased – has pushed me to work harder

and run faster than I would have on my own.

There’s something more rewarding about

running in a group; it’s easier to endure the

pain with others and enjoy the rush of relief

when it’s over.

Unfortunately, a change to my work

schedule rendered afternoon and evening

runs off the table, so when the past year

began, so did life as a solo runner.

Adjusting to this new reality was diffi-

cult. Routine drills ( like strides or dynamic

stretches) that just seemed to happen with

teammates felt like chores on my own.

Tracking speed was easy enough, but deter-

mining effort proved harder without other

runners as a barometer. During tempos,

I’d force my legs into a higher gear, just to

see what they were capable of, but inevi-

tably slow down moments later, somewhat

like running without a watch after years of

relying on a Garmin.

Over time, I developed all sorts of tech-

niques to trick myself into enjoying, or at least

completing, a hard workout. Since conversa-

tion was lacking, I varied running routes

to keep things interesting, starting tempos

in different spots and, admittedly, hunting

the odd segment on Strava. I programmed

workouts on my watch to prevent myself

from cheating on rest, and with full control

over my schedule, I made sure hard workouts

happened on the sunniest, clearest of days.

Six months in, training alone has become

easier mentally, if not physically. Now that

I’m used to pacing myself, I don’t hope that

tempos or a long string of hard sprints will

feel easy. I know they won’t.

If there’s one gift solo training offers –

other than convenience – it’s confidence.

When every workout is earned, with no one

to draft behind or surge with down the back-

stretch of a track, there’s less reason to fear

being alone, or falling off pace, in a race.

When the year began, I worried that hard

running, stripped of its social component,

would be a lot less fun. That prediction may

have come true, but it hasn’t slowed me

down. It’s helped me better appreciate the

sac r if ices people make to st ick wit h t he sport.

And as I look toward training for my first full

marathon, I’m starting to believe I can do it

on my own.

Madeleine Cummings is an associate producer at the

CBC and a regular columnist for Canadian Running.

By Madeleine Cummings

24 Canadian Running September & October 2019, Volume 12, Issue 6

Ric

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thoughtsaboutrunning

what madeleine cummings thinks about when she thinks about running

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