I’ve never really appreciated the concept of a running buddy.  In fact, for the most part, I have hated running with other people.  So KtKark, forgive me for my apprehension over running the Fitness4Mile with you this past weekend!  For the sake of being cliche, I’m going to throw it out there and say, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

My fears about acquiring a running buddy span the entire spectrum, beginning with the fact that I don’t want to come to terms with the fact that I might not be able to keep up.  Among the other reasons, I am not able to talk and run simultaneously; I do not want my running buddy asking me whether or not I’m ok when I’m panting, dripping and turning various hues of red, pink and purple; and finally, I don’t enjoy feeling like I am holding someone back.

I should have known that I wouldn’t have to worry about any of these issues considering that my running buddy of the weekend was the very same girl that got me through 8 laps around Prospect Park for the Brooklyn Marathon.  However, it was this weekend that I realized having a running buddy is actually pretty cool if you find the right one.  We didn’t have to talk.  We didn’t have to stay together.  We didn’t have to ask each other if the other person was ok, because not only did we just know, but we knew equally well that we’d most likely annoy each other if we did ask.  Also, while running is an individual sport, it was nice for the parts of the race that we were together to look over and have a support system.  For an individual sport we had developed a team of sorts, motivating each other to keep pace while also forcing each other to bob and weave around the runners that were standing in between our current and desired pace.

Despite this new team mentality, I couldn’t help hearing my high school cross country coach say “run your own race” on repeat in my head.  And as we parted ways in the race, I finally got past my fear of having a running buddy.  I wasn’t as fast as she was, but I’m ok with that.  She pushed me to go a little faster for the first couple of miles and that may have been just enough to get my overall race time down lower than my previous race time.  

So, lesson learned.  Don’t rule out a running buddy – just find the right one.  Thanks for kicking my butt this weekend, KtKark!

What I’m running to: Gangnam Style- PSY