As summer comes to a close, I am reminded of some of the running highlights from these past few months: the Lake Tahoe Relay, the salty air of Maui, and the San Francisco Marathon. I loved these special moments. They were memorable and fun, but they were not the only great aspect of summer. I also appreciated the daily casual running practices with my teammates, also known as summer running. Summer running was more than just the big notable events. It was a daily experience that made summer significantly better.
You see, every offseason, many of my cross country teammates and I get together to run as we would during the season. The only difference is that our coaches cannot be there, but they provide running plans to help us get the right amounts of mileage, hills, and speed every week. These practices are informal; after all, there is no adult supervision. However, we still work hard to improve.
In summer running practices, we got to run with our teammates. We enjoyed each other’s company and strove for improvement while still having fun. I much preferred summer running over running alone.
According to Christine Luff for VeryWellFit, running with another person or a group of people can have immense psychological benefits for runners. First and foremost, it’s safer. In an emergency, group mates can call for help or provide first aid. Solo runners don’t have the same security.
Running with others also helps improve motivation and performance. The pressure of others relying on you to honor your running commitments makes you more likely to attend planned runs. Moreover, once you’re out on the course, trying to keep up with your running mates makes you go faster, whether you realize it or not.
Another, slightly less appreciated aspects of training together is that running helps runners bond. I have made plenty of new friends and strengthened some old relationships during long, laborious runs. We suffer together, helping us to appreciate each other’s company.
With events both big and small, this summer’s vigorous running regimen was arduous but gratifying. Throughout the summer, I strengthened and worked hard to recover from my previous season’s injuries. I aimed to be ready for the cross country season, but also savored the individual moments along the way: my first serious hills in months, my first time running thirty miles in a week in over six months, and most of all my first time completing full runs with teammates since my knee injury. I finally got to run. More importantly, I got to run among friends. Summer running was pretty great. It wasn’t perfect, but, compared to my painful months of injury, it truly was. Perfect.
Mile Sixteen 