"I really do need to do more quick stuff. My problem is I'm just lazy. When I'm with the quick group I keep up, I run way faster than I would if I was by myself" (anonymous)
This was said by a clubmate of mine at a recent club 5k race. We debated the idea of training alone vs training with groups. In the privacy of my own skull, this post was typing itself.
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| I walk alone, I walk alone (actually, Mark Dobbs was right behind me) |
I'll put it out there; I'm a lone wolf. Most of my training is done alone. This is for several reasons but can be distilled down to three main ones:
1. Time simply does not allow me to train regularly with others. I have three jobs, two children, a wife and a triathlon habit. I have to squeeze in training where I can, and through no fault of anyone's, these times sometimes don't match with other schedules.
2. I'm a worrier. I like to make sure everyone I spend time with is alright, and that distracts me from training hard.
3. I don't like it.
Wait, that's not quite right. It's not that I don't like it, exactly. I just like training alone more. I enjoy the headspace it brings me. The silence, the lack of social niceties, the focus. There's a certain majesty to be found in running through the trees alone, or by the forced isolation of a swim set. The paradox, of course, is that swimmers are some of the most depression-prone athletes because of the physical loneliness attached to swimming (you can't exactly natter about your weekend during a hard pyramid set of swimming). However, the casual swimmer, doing it once or twice a week, may enjoy the detachment.
The quote at the beginning is from a clubmate who's a decent runner. He's in good shape, he gets to a club run once a week. But he confesses to avoiding 'quick stuff' (interval training, etc).
I guess I'm lucky in that I find motivation for fitness fairly easy to come by. That doesn't make me better than another athlete who doesn't, it just makes me different. But the motivation for an interval session is different from the motivation needed for a long bike ride, or a grueling swim set, etc. You either have to make peace with yourself about the length of time, or the amount of pain you're going to experience. And these things in themselves may affect whether you prefer training alone or with others.
Long runs and long cycles are, I must confess, very enjoyable in a group. Bike rides, especially, can be very social affairs. But an interval session, involving pain, sweating, panting, pushing yourself to limits, is very different. Those sessions are the ones I like to do alone.
Like all my posts, I like to include something that new and seasoned athletes can take away and incorporate into their schedules. With that in mind, my advice is thus; be honest with what you like best. If you like long runs alone, that's fine. If you like a track session with others, that's fine too. You'll hear a lot of people talk about pack mentality, and the motivation provided by others. No problem. They might even be right scientifically. But you need to enjoy your training. If you resent it, it'll be harder to stick to.
Finally, a big well done to Matt Edmonds, the winner of the club 5k that birthed this post. A PB of 16:54 for him, sub 17 for the first time.
And he always trains alone...
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