Over the next two weeks, we will be urging each trainee to run with a buddy during the Saturday long runs. We don ‘t want to see anyone running solo.

There are two reasons for this:

1) If you are running solo, you may not be able to tell if you are getting into trouble. Running with a buddy means there is an extra pair of eyes looking out for you. You are less likely to run into physical difficulty when running with a partner, and you are also less likely to get lost on the trail, or miss a turn-around point.

2) The proper training pace for distance running (especially training for you first half or full marathon) is one at which you can hold a conversation with someone. If you are winded and out of breath, too winded to talk with someone, then you are running too fast!

It is a lot harder to blow off a run when you know somebody is waiting to run with you.

Running with a buddy also lessens the difficulty of doing a long run. In one small group of runners, one person can take care of directions and turn-around locations, another can work the watch for split times and walk breaks, and a third can provide the jokes or stories to keep everyone occupied mentally. The group members can bolster each other when the going gets tough, or commiserate about the stupid route which the coach chose for that week. Before long, the run is over.

Now, running with someone means that sometimes, you have to slow down a bit, and you may not be able to stretch the pace. But long runs are not about speed. A slower, but consistent pace is better than a quick start and a mediocre finish. And there is no such thing as junk miles – every mile of your training, even those at a snail’s pace as you slow down to stay with your training partner who’s having a bad day – counts toward your marathon goal.

So on your next long run, find somebody who runs at about the same pace, and run with them all the way.