By Terri Rejimbal, RRCA certified coach
It’s been about 3 weeks now of running solo and getting to know yourself better. Are you enjoying your own company? How can we find personal value during this time? Let’s look at some benefits to running solo.
Here are some advantages of running solo with your BFF…
Inner Mental Toughness. Running solo builds on your mental strengths. Sometimes it’s difficult to motivate yourself to run. Having partners are amazing motivators especially on tough days, but what happens when they aren’t there. It’s nice to have them. However, there may come times when schedules don’t line up, holidays or injury, and you have to run alone. And this is where it gets tough! It’s hard to motivate one’s self when the going gets tough on the road, trail, or track. Do you push the pace, pull back, or hit the gas in those last laps, miles, or reps? This is where testing, training, and trusting yourself and your capabilities come in.
Me Time. This is your time to work out personal problems. Have you ever felt overwhelmed, stressed or anxious, only to go for a run and feel better after it? Running with a partner often allows you to “vent” on a second set of ears, but how often do you solve your problem? It’s a nice distraction of sort, but is your problem ever really worked out? Sometimes that “quiet” time during your solo run, allows you to clearly think through/contemplate problems from a different angle.
Runners Zen. Times when your mind goes completely blank, also called the state of “flow”. You are totally immersed in act of running. I love these times I can get into that Zen-like state on my run. Often times I come back only to check my Garmin map to make sure I really did make that turn. Time seems to fly by and there’s a feeling of a loss of consciousness during the time spent running. It’s almost like an out of body experience-you go through the motion of running but everything else is a blur leaving you in a state of happiness at the end.
Creativity Time. Solo running can spark some really great ideas. Your mind is free to visualize different ideas or scenarios. Often times I use my solo running to come up with article topics or rewrite my thoughts on my run. Only wish that I could remember most of them when I finish.
My Time. Running on your own time gives you control of time management. You don’t have to wait around for others running late, run faster or slower than you want, or compromise on a route. You can make your own rules, route, time, and pace. No compromises.
Solo running is all about YOU and what you WANT out of it!
As with a storm – this too shall pass – and we will be stronger from it. Hang in there!
Terri Rejimbal is a competitive Masters athlete, 2019 St Pete Runfest half-marathon champion, a 3-time winner and 9-time Masters champion of the Gasparilla Distance Classic half-marathon, 6-time Disney Masters marathon winner, 7-time Florida USATF Athlete of the Year, and a New Balance product tester. Terri is a RRCA certified running coach and available for consulting or coaching services. Contact Terri at tarejimbal@gmail.com, on Facebook/terri.rejimbal, Twitter @trejimbal, or Instagram @bayshorerunner.