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doubtthevalidity wrote:

I had always used to run alone. In the early summer of last year a female acquaintance, who also ran alone, wanted to start running with me. I reluctantly agreed to try one run. That started 9 months of pure hell. After the first run she began texting me non stop about my next run, where, when, how fast, etc. I was happy running alone but she was afraid to run anywhere but around a local college and a route near her gym. She was particularly interested in trail running, which I primarily do. Our schedules didn't match up very well and she expected me to run at times that were inconvenient for me and at places that were inconvenient as well, so she could have someone to run with. She tried to constantly make me feel guilty about how trail running helped her feel free and she couldn't do it on her own. She complained if I didn't want to do the course she did, if I wore headphones, or if I didn't do the pace she wanted. I kept telling her it was her choice to run with me or not. She would go off on me, then apologize and beg for another shot. When I told her I no longer wanted to run with her, she still kept texting me because she said I was her only running friend, and after 3 times telling her no more texts, it appears it has not stopped.

Long story even longer, one of the main qualities in a running partner is to find someone with a similar personality. Never try to became running partners with a needy person. Try to run with someone who has similar goals. If you are competetive, find someone who is competetive. If you run for fun and don't race, don't find someone who cares a lot about racing. I have ran with a coworker a few times and our runs were always kinda spontaneous as far as when, distance and pace goes. He never complained about anything eventhough I was more experienced than he is. It can be enjoyable with the right person, but also very miserable with the wrong one.

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