April: Solo

   The time reserved for workouts is sacred, right? Most runners develop stubborn prejudices about who, if anyone, can share that time. In doing so, we risk cheating ourselves of a richer experience, of more focused effort, and perhaps of friendship. It's always worth bringing up for review your decision to run solo.

   A workout partner is an instant support group, not only for shoring up motivation, but for lending a pair of ears at times that matter. Running is a sublimely intimate endeavor. Nothing, aside from sex perhaps, shows you more clearly who you are. Even if you share nothing else in your lives, long-term running companions almost invariably become friends. It's not surprising that many couples who run together, even if they run in complete silence, cherish this time and find that it strengthens the bonds that make them a couple.

   Likewise, a good running companion can make for great workouts, especially if there's friendly competition between the two of you. Over time, your partner will know how to elicit more from you than anyone else alive, simply by putting on a spurt of speed or choosing a more challenging route. You'll invariably return the favor. You'll also come to understand each other's limits: you'll know when to push, when to back off. If you've set your sights on the same goal - a race, a trail run, a group event - you'll progress more assuredly and in all likelihood more quickly.

   But how often do your goals perfectly match your partner's? Even if you are both training for a specific distance event or trying to drop the same number of pounds, you are individuals and will train for your goals in highly personal ways. Also, most of us run with several goals in mind and priorities assigned, In this case, a running partner can work against your interests. Worse, when your partner gets sick or moves away, your motivation may flag. If company and support are what you seek, a running club provides these while allowing you to work the personal terrain of your many goals.

   Otherwise, running solo brings ineffable gratification, and many of us would have it no other way. The focused attention on the task at hand - virtually step by step - guarantees that you'll get the most from every workout. Running solo teaches the discipline to continuously seek more from yourself and to make progress in your training habitual. It is also a cherished time of the day, a chance to debrief yourself, to gain perspective, or to blow off steam. It is meditation. Does this seem a little selfish? Yes. No apologies needed.

   Oh, running solo has its drawbacks. You can always use a second pair of eyes on your form. Boredom or pain can turn weeks or months of training into a desultory trudge, in which progress stalls. But one marvelous thing about running is that, solo or partnered, you can have it both ways.