I think I don’t like running with other people.
I thought I would, but I definitely prefer doing it on my own.
I like talking about running with others (and god knows, it’s all I ever seem to bloody talk about at the moment). I like discussing training plans and tactics and how comically bad I am with others, but when it gets right down to it, I want to do the actual sweaty bit on my own.
The problem is that when I run with others (Evil Bob, Lovely Tori, etc), I immediately:
1) Feel patronised by them having to keep down to my pace (i.e. very very slightly faster than a moderate walking pace).
2) Feel compelled to go slightly faster than I’d like to so as to ease the frustrations of my fellow runners
3) Feel that I have to use vital breath to keep up a conversation when it would be clear to any sane person that I don’t have the oxygen to spare.
4) Don’t feel I can wear my Ipod. Honestly, how can anyone run without one? I just start dwelling on every footfall and it becomes an exercise in torture. I need the nice lady in my ears to read me stories to pass the time. An hour is quite a long time to need to be distracted for.
I just can’t think of it as a sociable activity. I know some people simply thrive on the camaraderie and motivation that comes from being too humiliated to slow down (aka ‘running with others’) but it’s not for me.
In fact, I entered a new race today (‘ark at me… entering races) and Lovely Tori found out about it.
‘Are you running it with anyone?’ she asked.
‘erm, no’.
‘Ooh – I might do that with you then’.
Sigh. She’s lovely, she really is, but I just don’t like running with other people. I don’t even like that there are pedestrians on the same paths I run on.
