Three Reasons To Have A Running Partner

I’ve been running for years now. I love to run but I never started out loving it. In triathlon it’s my worst of the three sports. I’ve had to grow into loving it the way I do. But just know, my relationship with running is sometimes a love/hate relationship. However… I improve the most when I run with a running partner… and these improvements aren’t just with running either.

Here are my top three reasons to have a running partner:

Accountability. Running with a partner gives me someone to be accountable to. When I’m home, my running partner is Randy Elrod. It’s hard to sleep in when I know Randy is meeting me for a run.

You can set goals for a specific race, which will help you get into and weekly schedule. Randy and I do this and it makes a huge difference in how we run during the week and on the weekend. The best part is you have someone to do this with. It’s amazing what running with a friend will do for your friendship.

I would say some of the deepest conversations and best brainstorming ideas Randy and I have had happened during a run.

Consistency. Because Randy and I set goals for our running, it forces us to set a weekly training schedule that works with our lives. For us, we run three times a week. Generally, we run 6 miles on Tuesday and Thursday then a longer run on Saturday or Sunday. Right now our long runs sit around 12-13 miles.But here’s the real benefit of that kind of consistency… it’s not about the miles, it’s about the progression of discipline that starts to form and becomes part of daily life. With that kind of consistency, I am able to look at other parts of my life I want to make improvements in and take a stab at it… Because I know if I set my mind to it, make a plan and discipline myself to stick with it, then I will have a real chance of making the improvements I want to make.

Improvement. When it comes to the actual physical activity of running. If you are consistent and accountable to running with a partner, you will push each other to slowly get faster and stronger. When this happens you will take steps to get a little leaner and you will get in much better shape over time. Randy and I are running faster now than we ever have in all the time we have been running together.  Why? Accountability to be consistent with our running habits and eating habits.

One of the biggest benefits I’ve gained from going through all of this you ask? I’m a much more confident person which made a huge impact on my life.

Let’s face it… There are a lot of times in my life where I am much better if I’m able to share the experience with someone else. A training partner (running, cycling or swimming), travel buddy, loved one… whatever you want to call that other person.

Life is too short to do it alone and the benefits of having a running partner outweigh the benefits of running to just run.

Thoughts?

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Categories: Running, Triathlon
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  • Randy

    The benefits from a running partner are much like mentoring – reciprocal. It is a win-win collaboration.

    Thanks, Spence, for being my running partner! As with all relationships- they change.

    As you prepare to exchange me for a much more beautiful running (and life) partner, i wish you Godspeed!

    And I pray that I will find a partner that can continue to offer these extraordinary benefits!!

    • http://www.spencesmith.com Spence Smith

      very much a win/win… i get the best from you in those moments. i will need the speed of God to keep up with her… plus she has cuter legs and smells good:)

  • http://twitter.com/CheerfulKim Kim Wilson

    I affirm everything you’ve said. As a runner myself, I find so much more enthusiasm for it when I’m sharing it with others. I really enjoy running, but the accountability is a tremendous motivation for getting up on those “I don’t feel like running” days. I also prefer running races with friends. I’ve run a marathon by myself, and it was a drag. I doubt I’ll do that again. I ran my second marathon with a good friend and decreased my time by 25 minutes. Most people who don’t love running won’t develop a love for it without someone else being the picture.

    • http://www.spencesmith.com Spence Smith

      agreed! i hate running long distances like that by myself… When I did my first marathon and my first ironman it was the same way… but i got through it… such a key statement you said here…

      Most people who don’t love running won’t develop a love for it without someone else being the picture.

      thanks for the comment!!!

  • http://twitter.com/JBEmerson Ben Emerson

    I am running my first half marathon on Sunday and I completely agree with everything you just said. Though I admit one of the good things that happened during the training was I learned that I can run long distances by myself. I still totally prefer running with someone else. Great conversation. Great team work. And just a great time.

    Thanks for the encouragement.

    • http://www.spencesmith.com Spence Smith

      Ben!!! Congrats!!! i hope sunday goes well for you. I remember every detail about my first half marathon. Where is it? Good for you on enjoying running by yourself. I like it on occasion but the setting needs to be right for me.

      • http://thewholedangthing.wordpress.com Ben Emerson

        I did the St. Louis Halfer. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. wow. Those last two miles were ridiculous! But my running partner/girlfriend/fiance as of ten feet from the finish line (Yes!) helped me through it. I couldn’t have done it without her, so I asked her to marry me at the end.

  • Ally Spotts

    Yes, yes. I couldn’t agree more. I love what you said about how running with someone deepens your relationship with that person. I don’t know if it is the lack of oxygen getting to my brain or the endorphins or something else, but I have some of the best conversations when I am running with someone. The kind of conversations that are honest and vulnerable in all the best ways.

    I recently wrote a post about reasons to get a pacer in running and in life; and another one a few weeks later about howthis power of running with a teammate or a friend. I think there is a really powerful metaphor there for life’s “race”.

    I like the way you said it best: Life is too short to run alone. Thanks for the post.

    • http://www.spencesmith.com Spence Smith

      Thanks Ally! oh you are so right. Life really is not just running a race… but training for the race. it’s so powerful. Running… triathlons… have taught me more about life than i could have ever imagined.

      thanks for the comment!

  • Suzie Wood

    I don’t run often and when I do, it is usually alone. However, when I have run in 5Ks in the past, I have always had a partner. Having a friend with me, even just in that small run, improved my running time and overall experience. I wish she lived closer so we could run together all the time. I definitely agree, the running partner is a great benefit!

    • http://www.spencesmith.com Spence Smith

      such a great benefit for sure! and when i can have someone run with me during a race it’s even better!!! it’s a good excuse to go all out. thanks for the comment!