Running Buddy

"I am going to get up at 7:00 am on a Sunday and go run 7 miles!" "I am going to do some 400 intervals on the track tonight." "I am going to hit the trail for a nice run around the lake." These all sound like nice testaments when you are getting ready to go to bed and planning out your schedule for the following day, and at the time you really do plan on doing that workout. But if you are anything like me at all, you get up and put on your running shoes, maybe you even eat a banana and tighten the strap on your watch, but then it hits you. The fact that you are about ready to go for a run, and it is going to be boring, because all you have to listen to for the next hour is the soles of your shoes hitting the pavement and the quickening pace of your breath. Or maybe you don't think that it will be boring and you enjoy the peace and quite of running by yourself, but then you realize that you have so much other stuff to do and don't have as much time as you thought to get a run in, or maybe you are just SOO comfortable in bed and don't want to get up quit yet, but whatever it is, people always seem to be much less motivated when they have to run by themselves. That is why finding a running buddy can be very beneficial. Creating plans with someone will make you much less likely to back out at the last minute if you know that someone else is depending on you to show up at the track the next morning. In addition, when two people run together they can help push each other to keep going and finish the workout, improving the training and fitness of both parties. So if you are ever struggling to follow through with your running plans or need something to help you improve your pace, consider asking a coworker or peer to try going on a jog with you sometime and see how your guys's paces match up. Running is also a great way to become closer to people, because when all you have to do is talk to the person next to you for the entirety of a run, and you run together multiple times a week, you get to know each other pretty well! 

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