Title: Another take on workout partners
Tags: workout training partners
Blog Entry: Who do you train with? Anyone? By yourself or with a few people? Are you in a program with a larger group? Is one preferably over the others? Even with individual sports, the people you train with are a very key part of your program. So I have a few rules of thumb for the people who I coach, most of whom are runners, triathletes and cyclists -- individual sports participants for the most part. First, don't compromise or change your training plan to accommodate someone else. Make sure whomever you choose to train with is O.K. with your workout, or you are doing similar enough workout that you can do it together. Last Wednesday, my son, who is a high school 800-meter/400-meter track guy, had to miss his workout with his teammates due to an eye doctor's appointment. had to complete the workout that evening on his own. I still had to get my own track workout in, so we went to the track together. I recovered during his work, and he recovered when I was running my work. It worked well. We took splits for each other and yelled encouragement. And we were able to warm up and cooldown together. Now it would be a wonderful thing if I could pull down times like my son's but that just isn't going to happen? So we work together in the same context, supporting each other but doing slightly different things. Definitely at different speeds! But it works. The other side of this coin, is make sure you work with people who have similar or slightly greater ability. Too often, especially with marathoners I know, they sacrifice running a well-paced run in order to have company, and wind up training repeatedly at paces that are much too slow for them. On easy days or recovery days, that is fine. But not on a regular basis or on days you need to be going faster or harder. Train with folks who are your speed or slightly faster, so there is benefit to you from that work. Don't get into contests with the people you train with. Yes, it's good to have a little friendly competition. But when it becomes an all out match between you and the person or people you are training with, it's time to reevaluate. Also, allow some time to find the right mix of people. Sometimes that takes time. You may have to go to different places and find new groups or new individuals. There are many resources out there to do so. But shake it up and have the patience to find just the right mix. It is well worth it. And finally, even if you are someone who likes to train solo, try a training partner. You may find the training more enjoyable and of higher quality when you have someone there to work with you.
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