I've been running and participating in races for about 4 years and for the most part, I have always run with someone. It's mostly been my husband (bless him for being my constant motivator), but I've also run with friends and family.
I've been lucky to have a decent medal collection from all these races. 
So it may surprise you to know that of the races I've run, only one of them I've run by myself. I know it's irrational, but I get really nervous about racing by myself.
I had to overcome my fear when I ran the Tinker Bell 10k.
It was strange walking to the corrals by myself, but I met some awesome twitter friends in the corral and they helped to pass the time. Plus I was in Corral A for the first time ever and I was gawking and taking pictures of the "A" corral marker. ;)
The run itself was great. I loved the freedom of being able to hop in a character photo line or just jump to the side to snap a picture. I could go as quickly or as slowly as I wanted without having to consider someone else's pace.
I got some great photos during the race.
And took my first ever photo with characters during a race! Pretty unique characters for a photo!
But... this was a 10k and I was pretty used to the mileage. I think that's part of what made me feel at ease with running alone. It was only an hour or so and I knew I could easily complete the distance.
This time around, my solo running comes with a longer distance- the Avengers Half marathon.
I'm really nervous about this race, mostly because I am very under-trained for this race and it's been months since I ran double digit miles (not including Wine & Dine this past weekend). I worry that I won't finish the race or that I'll get swept. Maybe it's a lack of personal motivation to keep moving? Does anyone else get this? The companionship of a running buddy has always been great encouragement, but as nervous as I am, I'm looking forward to running this alone and overcoming my fear of racing alone.
Do you race alone? Have you run with other people? Which do you prefer?
I've done both and have enjoyed both. I get nervous about running by myself in the beginning but I like the fact that it let's me go at my own pace! I think you will do fine this weekend. Stay positive and take walk breaks when you need to!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Once I got going, I enjoyed running alone. I could stop for pictures whenever I wanted and could walk if I needed to, without having to alert a running buddy. But getting up and out the door was hard! It's a lot easier when someone else is up at the crack of dawn to get ready with you!
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