This week, I am jumping back in and am linking up with  Kookyrunner and Zenaida  for Tuesday Topics. Today we’re talking about the benefits of running solo.

I skipped last week’s prompt (the benefits of running in groups) because I honestly have NO experience running in groups (other than races, but those don’t count).

Ever since I started running, I have been a solo runner. Partly by choice, partly by circumstance.

I have contemplated joining a running group before, but at the time they were meeting at times that weren’t doable for me (either too late in the morning or too early for me in the evening).  Since I work long days, my workout windows during the week were pretty narrow (especially when I was still commuting to the office).

Granted, things have changed a bit. But I didn’t feel particularly adventurous about joining a running group during COVID. And running solo is pretty great. Here’s why:

You get to run on your own schedule. 

While I generally stick to certain running days during the week, I really like to be able to vary my starting and end times. I enjoy having the flexibility to get out a bit earlier or later, depending on how my morning goes, and I do shift around my running days sometimes when necessary. I don’t want to feel bad for standing others up because I have a change in plans.

You get to decide on mileage.

Sometimes when I set out for my run, I don’t really feel like running and tell myself that I can always just do a quick 5k and be done with it (just to coax myself out the door). More often than not, once I’ve left the house and have fallen into my stride, I enjoy my run and extend my mileage based on how I feel.

You get to run at your own pace.

This is really important to me too. I run a lot of runs just by how I feel without paying too much attention to the pace and having  to either slow down or speed up to keep in line with others is “hard” for me (although I do see the challenge in that).

You can focus on your running form.

This is honestly something I have started to pay way more attention to in the last couple of years and I feel like it has really made a difference in my performance. I see so many runners when I am out running that have poor form (they swing their arms and legs out or across the body, they “sit” on their hips, or take huge steps aka overstride).

I’ve really been working on my stride length, cadence, and posture when I run and that works best when you’re not distracted.

You get to spend some time in your own head.

I do my best thinking when I run and I really treat my runs as my me-time. Sometimes, I just listen to music/podcasts/run-instructors, but frequently, I also think about all kinds of things on my run: I make to-do lists, think about projects that I am working on, solve work problems (yup, that happened), or just day-dream about the things I want to do when I feel safe enough again to move around in the world more amidst COVID.

Bonus: You may be able to prevent injury. 

I heard this a few times and I wonder how much truth there is to it, although I am lucky to be able to say that I haven’t really been injured since I started running about 7 years ago. They say by running solo, you’re more in-tune with your body, how it feels and how you feel on any particular day and you can adjust accordingly and don’t push yourself to run distances/paces that don’t suit you that day. Either way, I gladly take staying injury-free by running solo (most days).

What do you like about running solo?

It’s Tuesday and I am linking up with  Kookyrunner and Zenaida  for Tuesday Topics. Today we’re talking about funny fitness + running myths. You know, the things you hear about fitness and working out that people believe but are not true. Let’s hear a few of them. 

“Sport ist Mord” (sport is murder). 

In German, people (who don’t work out) usually say “Sport ist Mord” (sport is murder) to justify their aversion to moving their bodies. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, because regularly moving your body will actually help you to stay fit and healthy well into older age!

Runners don’t walk.

Well, actually, they do. And they should. And there is no shame in taking walking breaks. There, I said it. Even more experienced runners walk. In fact, marathon runners can improve their times by an average of 13-plus minutes if they walk-run, and half marathoners are on average seven minutes faster if they walk-run rather than run the whole way, according to Olympian Jeff Galloway. Who knew!

More is always better.

I know this all too well, that feeling of more, more, more: more miles, faster paces, more running days per week. But this is not what running is about (unless you’re in a specific training cycle and are preparing for a race, of course). Consistency and variety is key to your successful running career, but slower paces have their place. So do low mileage and rest days.

Running is supposed to be hard.

No, it’s not. Of course, running is a more intense activity than, let’s say, walking and when you just start out, running may feel hard, but it’s not supposed to be torture. In fact, many of your runs should be ‘easy runs’ at a low, comfortable intensity where you feel good and that make you want to run “forever”. If every run feels hard, chances are, you’re starting out too fast and you need to slow down. 

If you want to run fast on race day, you have to run as fast as you can every day of your training.

Haha, ahm, no. That’s the LAST thing you want to do. Speed work is important to get to faster paces, but if you run fast every day of your training, you’ll crash and burn on race day.

If you don’t sweat, you’re not working hard enough. 

Listen, I love a good sweat and definitely feel like I “accomplished” more when I am soaking wet after a training session, but sweat rate is highly personal and not every effective training will leave you in a puddle. That’s ok. It doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard enough.

Running is boring.

I’d like to politely disagree. I do my best thinking when I run. I can listen to music and podcasts. I also try to pick running routes that make me want to get out the door. This is a bullshit excuse not to run. ;)

What’s one fitness myth you find particularly funny? 

This week, I am jumping back in and I am linking up with  Kookyrunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics. Today we’re talking about our 2021 mid-year review. Well, to be honest, I haven’t really set too many fitness goals for this year. After everything got derailed in 2020 and races were postponed and then postponed again, I went into 2021 with a totally open mindset. 

I knew that I wasn’t going to sign up (or train) for any in-person races until I felt comfortable with where we were at in the pandemic (and I am still not ready) and so my main goal for this year was to trudge along, stay healthy/injury-free and continue to be consistent with my workouts. The only pledge I made to myself at the beginning of the year was to complete a 365 Peloton streak.  It felt like something I could commit to and that was totally in my control.

I am happy to report that my Peloton streak is going strong and I am on day 187/365, as of today.

I’ve been consistently using the Peloton App since August 2020, I bought a  (non-Peloton) spin bike in September and I’ve been taking advantage of their whole array of classes. I rode about about 750 miles on my spin bike (which as we all know is a very vague estimate from a speed sensor, but whatever, it’s a number!), which came out to 50.5 hours of cycling for this year so far. 

I also hit the 200 ride milestone with my friend Tanja last weekend.

I’ve also been ramping up my (outdoor) running again in the last few months and wouldn’t be opposed to getting on a training plan for another half marathon. I have been running some decent paces and would love to keep up the momentum. I am currently at 235 running miles for the year (which isn’t all that much, but I am hoping to hit 600 by the end of 2021).

All in all, I am quite happy with how things are going. I’ve stayed injury-free, I am moving my body every day and I am planning to continue on this path. 

How’s your year going so far?

This week, I am linking up with  Kookyrunner and Zenaida  for Tuesday Topics and we’re talking about what we think about rest days.

Well, let’s define rest days first. There seems to be a consensus that everything between no exercise at all to lighter exercises and active recovery days can all be called ‘rest days’. 

I personally am a fan of rest days and I respect my body’s need for rest. For me, a rest day usually doesn’t include any form of planned exercise. I do believe that rest days are important for physical recovery and well being, but also for your mental health. And I also believe that not one rest day has to look like the other.

Most times these days, rest days are “somewhat” active rest days for me. I’ll do some stretching, light yoga, or go for a nice long walk. But it’s usually nothing structured and I just go with what I feel like. Sometimes that’s more, sometimes that’s less. It also really depends on what the rest of my workout schedule looks like.

Every once in a while, I will do a complete rest day, which means barely moving at all (and lying on the couch reading all day, if I want to), because sometimes this is what my body and mind truly need. I know a lot of people who have a hard time with complete rest days and I’ll say that most of the time, I too crave some sort of movement during the day, but if it does happen that my body doesn’t want to move,  I am okay with it (occasionally).

Rest days are all about giving your body (and mind) some love.

How do you feel about rest days? Do you sometimes just take a complete day off from any type of exercise?