It’s the rainy season here in the Philippines. That should not however be an impediment to running! Instead, in times of hard rain, one must adapt to the conditions. There’s such a thing as running in the rain. However, that is not the subject of this particular entry. For today, I would like to share that one way to keep a running schedule is HAVING A RUNNING BUDDY.
I see most runners around town having running buddies. There are many benefits to running with a friend, an office worker or even a casual acquaintance.
One, whenever I run with a buddy I do not feel the long stretch of pavement on my knees. Time flies by because I get the chance to talk about other things. This really depends on who my running buddy is at the time. If it happens to be another runner, the topic usually revolves around running gear, the races that one is joining in the months ahead and the injuries that one has gone through recently.
Two, running with a buddy strengthens friendships and relationships. Lately, I would rather meet friends for a run than for coffee. Of course, this is not possible at all times, since most of my closest friends are not runners. But running with good friends is a great way to bond and deepen the ties that bind. There’s one running buddy that I met a year ago at one half marathon, and after several races we became good friends as we kept bumping each other in races. We usually have the same race pace so I decided to keep up with him.
Three, running with a buddy also brings surprises. I am a sucker at helping other runners finish their first marathon. I believe I could call myself a “pace marathoner” if there is such a word. In this year’s Cebu Marathon, I wasn’t planning on pacing a runner or much less have a running buddy. Alas, I couldn’t help but help one runner on the road who was obviously having a difficult time just putting one leg forward. It was his first marathon and the longest distance he has ran was a half marathon. At the time, it was already my fourth marathon, so my body was getting used to the punishment of the road, the heat and the humidity that came along with the weather here in the Philippines. So I decided to become his running buddy till the finish line. At the end of the race, he invited me over for breakfast at the Waterfront Hotel! This was indeed a welcome surprise because I had no idea he worked there and was one of the managers of the hotel.
Running Buddies
Fourth, running with a buddy makes you run faster. There are studies that show that many run faster and longer when they have a running buddy. And I think this is the reason why some marathons and ultramarathons do not allow running buddies or pacers. Part of the race is the psychological endurance of how one can run alone for hours and not give up. But with a running buddy, giving up is not an option. It’s not just a sense of pride that someone is with us, but it is more that the other person is there with us and even without words to encourage us, the mere presence of a friend just lifts one’s spirit.
So who is your running buddy? I love running alone more than running with a buddy. Yet running buddies open doors of opportunities. I still view life like a road race, where each runner runs his own mission in life and running buddies are people we meet on the road who can help us with our life’s mission. It’s up to us whether we want to accept their help or not. Let the road of life inspire you to reach out to other people, help out other people and be there for others. For every runner experiences stumbling blocks that causes us injuries on the road and having a running buddy helps me get back to the road and run again. Life’s like that. So keep running and keep enjoying the road that is marked out for you.
My regular running budy is my hubby. He was the one who inspired me to start running. He’s a much faster runner than me so he pushes me out of my comfort zone.
I prefer running with a buddy during long runs. Before, I used to put on my ipod everytime I run but during one occasion I did not bring my ipod so I was forced to talk to someone to keep me busy. We enjoyed chatting so much that we barely noticed the training was nearly over. That’s where I found one great running friend whom I paced with during my first marathon. On one of my trainings, I met another runner who pushed me to endure the 18km run. He was a better runner than I was. We became occasional running buddies. He has helped me run harder because I was not allowed to walk during our training runs. Haha.