Sometimes I like running alone to set aside time for myself to sort out the day's events. But for the most part, I enjoy running with a buddy. My top 3 advantages of a running with a buddy are as follows:

1) The conversations make the time quickly pass by and helps me forget about the distance of my run

2) There is always safety in pairs

3) When I feel tired, my running buddy is always there to give me encouragement

My last run was a 16-mile run in Woodside. I assigned myself a running buddy. After a few track workouts, I pretty much know who has been running my pace. So, I spotted him out in the crowd and stuck by him. My running buddy is a perfect running buddy. He's great company and doesn't talk too much, he's slightly faster than I am, and never tires. His slight edge in speed forces me to push a little harder, which helps build my stamina.

What is my biggest problem? Bathroom breaks!!! I hate when I have to go because it just messes up my momentum. It also sets me back so much that I end up losing my running buddy. Did you know that a "quick" bathroom break could mean a half a mile difference between my running buddy and me? Well, I never like to make people wait for me while I'm taking a potty break especially when time is important. So I usually tell him or her to go on ahead.

So now, my bathroom break left me all alone. More so because I had to wait an extra 5-minutes. There were 2 portal-potties, and it was my lucky day to have both occupied by people taking a dump! Now the 10-minute bathroom break made it a mile difference between my running buddy and me. All I could think of was the grueling hills, the intense heat, and the horse manure that lied ahead of me.

But you know what? The advantage of running in popular running trails or with large groups, such as Team In Training, is that you are bound to run into another runner along the route. And sure enough, I caught up with a runner who I assigned as my new running buddy. I kept my focus on her and tried to keep her as my pacer. The unknown person became my encouragement. She kept trekking along...I kept trekking along. I made sure I didn't lose site of her. Keeping one foot after the other was my mission. And it was my goal to keep up with her. After awhile, she knew I was following her. We acknowledged each other. She admitted that it was comforting for her to know that she wasn't alone on this trail.

We finally stopped at a water stop and introduced ourselves to each other. We made an unspoken agreement to run with each other the remaining 6 miles. "You go first," I said. "No, you go first," she said. Apparently, neither of us wanted to go first on the single path. There is something more comforting about following rather than leading when it comes to running.

As a follower:

• You don't have the pressure of worrying whether you are going too fast or too slow because the leader becomes your pacer.

• You don't have to worry about where you are going or where you are stepping. You just follow the steps of your leader.

• If you feel like stopping, you can stop without worrying about spoiling it for the person behind you.

• When the leader stops, you don't feel as bad as if you initiated the stop.

• It is easier to run behind someone, because the person in front of you makes pacing easier. All the follower has to do is put one foot after the other and stay behind the leader.

Anyway, to be fair, I led this time; but only up until we got to a 2-person trail. Then we ran side-by-side. So, in the end, the 16-mile run wasn't bad at all. I'm sure I would've walked more or have gone a lot slower if I wasn't running with a buddy. So, I strongly recommend a running buddy.

If you don't have a running buddy, you can use my stategy for self-assigning a running buddy. If my running buddy isn't around, I'll start on a course solo and after a few miles, I can pick out the ones who's been running close to my pace and run by them. Another technique I use is to pick out a person in front of me and focus on that runner. If I happen to catch up with him or her, then I pick out another person in front of me and focus. I sometimes even make a game of it and try to see if I can catch up with the person in front of me. It helps make the time go by.

Happy running!

-Running Girl

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." (Hellen Keller)