Physiological benefits of running alone?

Any benefits that are gained would most likely be psychological as the physiological demands are relatively the same (disregarding wind resistance).

However, training without a group could also be detrimental as you would have less experience running with a group of people.

Often times in the results section you see 2-3 runners, who train together, finish together. One could speculate that training together allowed them to push each other during the race.

Most would argue that training in groups is superior to the lone wolf approach. Ethiopians and Kenyans typically follow the group model.

I think it's an individual thing. Most would benefit from group training but others wouldn't. The pushing each other would help but if it changes the dynamic of the workout like running too hard trying to keep up with others faster then you it could hurt

crazy. streaker. wrote:

Is there any additional physiological benefits to running by yourself?

"Are"

Either that or "benefit"

so even though it feels harder and is more difficult, you arent actually gaining anything extra?

And I am terribly sorry about the "is" and "are" mix up, I just didn't realize I was going to be critiqued. But then again, it's letsrun; the only place on Earth where you can get grammar lessons while arguing about meaningless predictions.

It allow for better training of the central governor if you run alone.

crazy. streaker. wrote:

And I am terribly sorry about the "is" and "are" mix up, I just didn't realize I was going to be critiqued.

So that's two mistakes you made.

But then again, it's letsrun; the only place on Earth where you can get grammar lessons while arguing about meaningless predictions.

No, it's not the only place on Earth, but you should nevertheless be grateful that someone cared enough to give you a free grammar lesson.

As far as your original question goes, yes, training alone can give you an enormous psychological advantage in races. The unaccustomed stimulation of running in a crowd can be an invaluable aid in producing superior racing results.

Meh. I think we need less of this rugged individualism thing. Training groups are a hallmark of all great running nations (kenya, ethiopia, japan, 70s USA)

luv2run wrote:

It allow for better training of the central governor if you run alone.

The "Central Governor," I know, I know, some "famous" coach has coined this phrase and his/her followers will fight bitterly to the death regarding it's importance.

But seriously, you have to admit it just sounds cheesy. My dad is a mechanic and I find it hilarious. As if there's some mechanical device inside all of us regulating how fast we move...

Pass me a cup of kool-aid while you're at it...

As for running alone, we all do it and we all find it therapeutic sometimes. Just run.

Your dad is a mechanic so you understand the complexity of fatigue? As if the brain has anything to do with the physiology of the body...what a completely ridiculous concept, right?

Pick up a physiology book and refresh your memory on the mechanisms involved with a muscle contraction. As if action potentials could actually be regulated by the CNS...it's fricken laughable.

Everyone knows that we slow down because the pH level in the muscle increases. And everyone knows that the internal feedback system is limited to the tissues. As if the brain and the tissues would actually communicate with each other!

I know i know. You run so you're automatically in tune with what's going on inside your body on the biochemical level.

To the original OP, running alone may be good for therapy but very few serious athletes train by themselves. Running alone fools you into thinking you're working harder than you actually are

But then again, it's letsrun; the only place on Earth where you can get grammar lessons while arguing about meaningless predictions.

No, it's not the only place on Earth, but you should nevertheless be grateful that someone cared enough to give you a free grammar lesson.

As far as your original question goes, yes, training alone can give you an enormous psychological advantage in races. The unaccustomed stimulation of running in a crowd can be an invaluable aid in producing superior racing results.[/quote]

WOW! Thanks! Now I will give you a free lesson in reading comprehension! I asked if there were any physiological benefits. However, you ignored that fact and concentrated on the psychological benefits.

MS wrote:

Running alone fools you into thinking you're working harder than you actually are

Ding Ding! Here is our correct answer.

Unfortunately for those of us that run alone...

crazy. streaker. wrote:

WOW! Thanks! Now I will give you a free lesson in reading comprehension! I asked if there were any physiological benefits. However, you ignored that fact and concentrated on the psychological benefits.

Well, you see, grasshopper, the psychological effects of running in a competitive crowd are likely to stimulate the accompanying physiological effects (or responses), such as the increased production of adrenaline. If you get habituated to training with a group of competitive runners, these crowd effects (psychological AND physiological) are less likely to give you a boost in a race.

But keep trying to put down your responders, eventually you'll get the answer you really like.

Depends how your react to fatigue and the desire to slow down. If you are able to fight through it alone, you are going to be that much tougher in a race situation compared to someone used to being pulled along by a training group.

If you condition yourself to pussing out when you're tired, you are more likely to do the same thing in a race. If this is you, DO NOT TRAIN ALONE.

Caveat: That said, for very high intensity training, go with a group. It is just too psychologically stressful (wasted energy) to do on your own and you won't get the same quality in.

But easy days are great because I run whatever pace I feel like.

MS wrote:

Your dad is a mechanic so you understand the complexity of fatigue?

You missed the point. You obviously don't know anything about the Internal Combustion Engine. I never said I knew anything about whatever it was you decided to spew. I simply stated that it just sounds cheesy if you have a background in something other than running & running message board posting.

And your idea that running alone "tricks" you into thinking that you're working harder is bunk. The watch doesn't lie and if it feels harder than it did yesterday, or last week, then it probably is...

9 times out of 10 you can't run how you want in a group. You can't take off with 4 miles to go because you feel good, you have to stay with the group. Don't get me wrong, it can be nice to train with others, but if you want to run hard it's really not going to happen unless you're on the track. When on the roads everyone has their own way of doing things. Unless of course a pace is set beforehand, which essentially makes the road run like one long track rep...

"You obviously don't know anything about the Internal Combustion Engine."

Please understand that the human body is 1000x more complex than the internal combustion engine and scientists and researchers are still many years away (if at all) from creating a system that mimics the mechanisms involved with human muscle contraction/force production.

"I never said I knew anything about whatever it was you decided to spew"

And yet you feel qualified to criticize a model for performance and fatigue? Too much kool-aid this morning?

To the original OP...you did ask for physiological benefits but one can't completley disconnect the psychological from the physiological.

From a strictly physiological view (metabolism/muscle contractions operating in a vacuum), if your work load is the same your adaptations to said work load will be the same. I know that isn't what you want to hear but since you've dismissed the idea of a joint psychological/physiological process...that's what you're left with.

If you train alone you most likely will not be able to achieve the same work loads that you would be able to if you trained with someone else. Thus, your physiological adaptations will be less.

I find that group running helps me in the base phase of training, because I do my distance runs at a faster pace. There are lots of days when I feel tired but I end up running 6:00-6:20 pace because that's what the group wants to do.

But in the peaking phase I really need to take my easy days easy, so I can nail the hard workouts. During that phase it's best for me to train alone and just run what's comfortable and absolutely no faster.

it's probably worth pointing out that many people have cited the rise of post-collegiate training groups as part of the resurgence in American distance running, at least on the men's side. Throughout the 90's, our best guys trained on their own, afraid to let anyone else know what they were doing (ala Alan Webb now), and look what that got us.

I trained on my own for an entire season at one point. There are some positives and some negatives to it. On the positive side, learned to pace my workouts much better. Previously, I had often fallen into the trap of competing with my teammates and turning workouts into races. When on my own, I was never tempted to exceed my goal times. I got to the point where I could pace perfectly. I could run an entire 800 meter repeat workout without ever being more than a second off of my goal for any repeat.

As far as the comment about running alone making you feel like you're working harder than you are, I never felt this way for normal workouts. A long, hard effort might be easier with a friend in front of you (yes I know what I just said), but I never had a problem at normal workout paces. Again, I find that running with other people makes me push harder than I should.

As for physiological gain, I'd imagine that running a given pace with a bunch of people around you should be the same as running the same pace by yourself.