Trail running isn't something I do very often because I'm a bit nervous about tripping over the rocks, tumbling down the hill, and breaking a leg or worse. But I do love the beauty of the woods and it is a nice 4 mile loop at the same time. The worst part of it all, without a doubt, is the hills. They're not necessarily steep, but there are quite a few. Generally I don't mind hills. I hate hills, but I do them, because I know that if I can make it up, it's easy running back down. Of course, this mind set sort of goes out the window when you're heading down and you can see the next hill in the distance, but that's neither here nor there.
Now usually if I work out, I want to do it alone. I hate looking like a fool in front of tons of other people, and I know that if I'm paying attention to the people around me, the same is probably true for them. The only time my alone while working out rule comes out of play is when I go running. I have found that it is so much easier to run and keep pace with a buddy than alone. That's not to say that I can't do it alone, I just prefer not too. Usually I'll try to go running with a friend or a group of friends, but that isn't always possible. We all work different schedules and we all have busy lives, so it can be hard to find a time and a day that works for more than one person. I also can't see my friends joining me on the trails or on the beach; that type of terrain doesn't seem to be their thing. I like it because I feel like it helps with my speed on flat pavement, but I'm not sure if that's actually true. But when we can go together, it is nice to have someone there. We don't usually talk save a few minutes at the beginning and we almost all have earphones in too. I think it's just the solidarity in having someone else beside you, so you're not suffering having a great time by yourself. It really helps me to have that someone there to keep up with as well. Running alongside a partner pushes me through the cramps and forces me to keep going even if I want to quit. I can't be left behind after all!
Since I was out on my own the other day though, I had ample time to think, while I was trying to ignore the fact that my knees were killing me and that there was a large hill looming in the distance. As it were, I happened to be thinking about running buddies; more importantly, a running buddy I would choose if I could pick any one person in the world. (Well, first I would choose Ryan, but he never wants to go running, so I guess this would be my 2nd choice.) I know there are tons of people in the world and plenty of professional sports stars that I'm sure would be great running buddies. Not for me, because I could never keep up, but for someone out there. After much deliberation, because after all, what else is there to do when running alone, I have settled on my choice. If I had the opportunity to pick one person in the world to do a training run with (Ryan aside), I would choose Oliver Phelps. I've read his Triathlon diary and I feel like he would be a great running buddy. Sure he's got some tendinitis, but that would probably be better for me, as I might actually be able to keep up. Of course he lives halfway around the world and he's quite famous, so it would most probably never happen, but a person can dream right? If you have no idea who or what I'm talking about, take a trip back to JOP World and check out the Triathlon diaries. And if you feel like getting crazy, you can tell me who would be your top choice as a workout buddy.
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