Training solo vs. in a group (Read 170 times)

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The vast majority of my training since 2013 has been solo,  I've gone and run with a group of friends and I find that the group tends to do something other than what I'm specifically trying to accomplish on a given run.  And I've learned, over time, what the specific runs are trying to build or accomplish for race day.  Losing a day or two of training time to group dynamics as opposed to solo running for specific training goals probably won't hurt much in the long run.  But I've found very few people who are willing, for example, to go out in the heat of the day and do interval repeats at nearly full output.  They are fine at an easy conversational pace (but prefer early in the day)

I've found that the race, itself, tends to be a solo event and in those smaller marathons where the field gets spread out beyond 10 to 12 miles, the ability to manage one's experience and monitor one's body under solo conditions is a real benefit.  If you've practiced it in training, you know what you are dealing with.  I guess not tuning into your body's signals and the suffering you are experiencing in a group run could be a good thing because you are distracted.  But in my most satisfying marathons, when the legs start to feel tired as I am hammering over the last 10K, and particularly the last 5K, having the sense of "I know this sensation" because I was tuned into it during training and not having the experience diluted as part of a group run is a powerful drive at the end of the race.

I've never done larger group runs where you might be able to find a group running your pace, but I do have friends that will only run with others or groups (or they just don't run at all) as part of a social spirit in running and that's fine for general fitness and maybe to "survive" a marathon or half-marathon.  I, however, like to do more than just survive it.

I've always pretty much done the solo thing.... post college.

I do miss "track practice" tho.

seems many of the pros these days are training in groups....

my schedule is all over the place, but I would like to start trying to incorporate group runs/workouts in the future.

I may start attending a speed session track workout group, although part of me things I need more miles vs. speed work., maybe both.

I always run alone

... I'm not interesting in making someone else modify their pace/distance for me, and I have no desire to modify my pace/distance for someone else. 

+1.  When I run with a group or even just one friend, I am always running either faster or slower than I'd like.  My problem is I don't know how to say that without sounding like a curmudgeon.  A friend sent out a group text earlier asking who wanted to run tomorrow morning.  I ignored it until a couple of them had made their plans and then someone said "Brilliant, are you in?"  I replied, "I'll text you in the morning and let you know." Which is code for "I'm not going to drive to the park to meet you only to have you two go out too fast for me and I'm watching you in the distance so why don't we skip me driving to the park?"

I feel better after reading this thread - I didn't realize this board was full of fellow curmudgeons. 

I'm a loner in training, and go absolutely solo. I'm not interesting in making someone else modify their pace/distance for me, and I have no desire to modify my pace/distance for someone else. I also like to fart and burp and spit and shoot snot and pee in the bushes and grunt and cuss a lot. Not so easy in a group.

+1 to all this except for peeing in bushes. I'm classy, I stop at McDonald's for that.