Over the years running has changed for me, from the way I look at it and how I practice it.

It has long been an occasion to get together and an excuse to socialize. At times it then moved on to become an opportunity for reflection, in which to stay alone with my thoughts. Still, at other points it became a special interlude to share with one or two select friends, to think out loud about life and exchange experiences and conclusions. There was not a sequential transition from one form to another but still today these modes are intertwined. They come back and take turns, always passing the baton through the common pleasure of running and letting thoughts chase legs.

I did everything running. I laughed, I cried, I fought with some and made peace with others, I confessed secrets, I hoped, dreamed and planned for the future. While running I made some of the most important decisions of my life and embarked on new paths.

I did it alone and I did it in the company of others. But alway with the heart rate above 100 beats per minute, a stopwatch on my wrist and running shoes on my feet.

Today I cannot really say if I prefer to run alone or with others. Each day has it’s own demands and each choice has advantages and disadvantages.

IN A GROUP FOR…

Moral obligation
When I find myself in one of those periods where I’m lacking in motivation, the simple act of running with a group of friends, for me, becomes a kind of pact that I feel obliged to respect at any cost. In order not to break my word and betray their trust, I manage to leave the house in even the most horrible weather conditions be it pouring rain or with four inches of snow on the ground.

To go stronger and longer
Although it’s to a lesser extent today, in the past I definitely spent years in which the idea of having to run repeats alone terrified me. In those days I was certainly more focused on performance than wellness in sports and every time clocked corresponded to a mark written in red on the logbook. I was convinced that my legs would last longer in a group and that they be stronger with a friend, if this would at least be a good guarantee of a positive result. Today things have changed a bit. I manage to start and finish a workout, even repeats on the track, alone and without major emotional distress. There is no doubt, however, that when there is company, the repetitions pass more quickly, even with a stopwatch in hand, and we often run a few more.

Workout conditioning
With this expression from my childhood coach, he intended workouts to be done on legs which were already tired from a recent training. Today for me workout conditioning includes the presence of friends and I ‘condition’ myself at my own pace which leads me to run stronger and better than if I had been under the same circumstances alone.

Push the limit a little further
It is said that those who hang out on the athletic fields are more inclined to race. I honestly find it tiring to run the very last bit of a workout, regardless of what the stopwatch tells me. Although, today my primary objective in sports is to have fun and also for the benefit of physical and mental wellness, a little competition amuses me whenever I start to run. A challenge with a running mate, perhaps stronger than me, always makes me put forth that extra something which leaves me returning home satisfied and filled with tons of good energy.

GOING IT ALONE FOR…

To give myself room to think
The release of hormones, that pleasant sense of freedom from running often on a long slow run in the woods, is equivalent to a pleasant and necessary break all to myself. Everything goes around in my head in those moments of solitude. I balance life, draft imaginary lists of things to do, search for solutions to problems or I think of the right words to explain something complicated to someone. The clarity in my head when I run is unique and on par with only a few other moments in life.

Set aside problems for a little while
Clearing the mind one step at a time. I do it often, especially when the days are full of long-standing issues or life forces me to make painful but necessary decisions. To go the whole day thinking about problems and concerns requires taking the appropriate time to decompress and unload which fits perfectly with running alone. So, I change, put on my shoes, strap my stopwatch on my wrist and leave my most overwhelming thoughts in the desk drawer. I will return from that run without having resolved anything, but at least I will have a little less anxiety. Three steps faster is enough for me and I already feel lighter.

Stay true to a pace
In the end to accurately gauge my true level of physical fitness I still need a small display with tiny numbers written upon it. Under those circumstances, comparing with the stopwatch is more important than with my partners usual pace. It’s a moment when I ask my legs to do something important and I want them to be in sync with my head and respond as they do. Without outside help.

Give myself a break
Okay, running in a group helps with going faster, but there are times where we have neither the desire nor the need to go faster. Those are the best opportunities to be alone and avoid any kind of distractions.