Erika @ MCM Mama Runs hosts Tuesdays on the Run with April @ Run the great wide somewhere and Patty @ My no-guilt life!
I love to run with other people! Yet the vast majority of my runs are solo runs. My town has a thriving running community, so why would I have to run alone?
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I do not work (now) & although I am a morning person, my mornings are busy with feeding animals (2 dogs & 1 cat) & walking the dogs. I am so not an evening person, when most group runs seem to take place. I do it, sometimes, & then I have trouble getting to sleep at my normal hour.
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The bigger reason? Very few people run my pace. I’m slow – my easy pace is between 13-14 minute miles on a good day. I’m sure there must be people at my pace in the area, but it seems as though every time I started running with someone who is around my pace, they get faster – & I just don’t.
For the last four summers I have run with USAFit Albany. I am often, but not always, running by myself in the group. I seem to fall in between the average runners & the slower runners. Sometimes I get to run with someone; sometimes I’m by myself. But there’s always someone to chat with before/after my runs & I highly recommend this group to runners of all abilities.
Advantages of running solo:
- Go at your own pace
- Get lost in your thoughts/music
- Run whenever you feel like it
Advantages of running with a group:
- People to chat with
- Safety
- Someone to push the pace
Do you prefer running with a group to running solo, or visa versa? Any great running groups like USAFit to recommend?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Running with a group is tough when you can’t find that sweet spot of runners to run with you. I’ve been there. Over the winter I realized how much I enjoy running solo! It’s a great time to really be in your own head.
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I’m in my own head most of the time. Other than thinking about my form, running is a great time to not think about stuff for me.
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I generally run by myself because my schedule is odd, but when I do run with a group, I want to actually run with someone. Since those are usually social runs for me instead of training runs, I adjust my pace to run with someone else. Thanks for linking up with us!
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Thanks for hosting the link up! Even though I don’t work, I’m still busy & the freedom to run when I can squeeze it in is nice.
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I generally run by myself too ( for training runs). When I do run with someone, it’s usually my mom an she is really great at adapting to my pace. If I have to slow down, she’ll slow down too!
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That is awesome that you get to run with your mom! No one in my family runs – my brother does sometimes, I guess, but we live on opposite coasts.
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I would LOVE to have a running buddy, but between my schedule and my fear/anxiety of people I just run alone. I keep thinking I’ll “make” Lucy become my running partner, but then I think about how she acts when she sees a rabbit or squirrel, and I’d rather not hurt myself 😉 She also doesn’t do very well in the heat.
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The dogs are sprinters & Chester doesn’t even do well walking in the heat. I would run more in the mornings, but by the time I feed them all & walk them there usually isn’t time. You never know when you might meet a running buddy though! Stranger things have happened.
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I really enjoy my solo runs. It’s the only time of day that I’m alone.
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I think that’s true for a lot of runners. And I am alone all day usually, if you don’t count the fur kids, which may be why I like to run with others.
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