ohia wrote:
how hard has it been to do this alone versus running with teammates? id imagine incredibly hard to get motivated, and at the same time boring.
running is a fairly individualized sport, but having a team to hammer through the workouts/intervals with certainly helps in terms of competition and keeping focused.
It's been a solid 8 years since I've run with a team. But I do remember how much fun it was to run with good friends, and how easy it was, and how the miles simply flew by.
Solo running is good for getting that sacred 'me-time' away from family and stress, but it might not be the best environment if your goal is to excel as a runner. The miles tick off slowly, and you're very aware of the sacrifice you're making to go on that run- because, let's be real, there is no real sacrifice when you are young and training.
Then again, I stopped running in school because of injuries. The group I trained with in college ran too fast all of the time and never recovered. So maybe they did more harm than good for my running.
This journey back has been deeply personal for me and because of that I haven't felt the need to share my runs with others. Once I plateau I'll need to switch something up, and at that point the most logical thing will be to join a training group, at which point I'll probably repeat all my previous mistakes and end up injured again. ;)