About a month ago my right achilles started to get really tight when I ran. I decided to rest it and not run as much, it didn't hurt in other activities so that was good. I kept to one longish run a week, instead of 3-4. Yesterday I ran 14km and my achilles bothered me only in the last few kilometres. I'm so relieved it is starting to heal with rest.
I'm running a half marathon in a few weeks. I did one in April and this will be my second. I have an issue though, not with me (well sortof) but with my sister. She wants to run it with me, not for herself, but because she doesn't think I should run it alone. (Which I already did in the pouring rain and freezing cold....but) She does run about 2 10km runs a week. She is taller and thinner than me so I know she can run much faster than I can and she wants to just stick next to me.
So here are my issues:
1. I like to run by myself, I don't like to have to keep up with someone or make them run slower.
2. I know she can do it, yet she doesn't listen to me when I tell her what she should be doing, ex. the other day she ran for 1hr 40min, not sure on distance, but after me repeatedly telling her to run with her water belt, she still refused because its cooler out now. She called to tell me she feels like she needs to puke all day....(can you tell I'm the oldest....)
3. So at first I was afraid she would be too fast for me, now I'm afraid she'll be too slow in the end and I'm all about being faster than my last time.
4. I like to run by myself, which I've told her a few times, I don't even use music.
5. I've told her she needs to do it for herself not because 'you don't want me to run alone'
6. I like to run by myself.
I hope I don't sound like a mean sister or worse, a beeutch, but I just feel like I've been trying/training for much longer and I'm very estactic to do this on my own. I don't want to discourage her or hurt feelings about doing it with me but I also would feel awful if I would have to leave her at 19km to finish better.
So should I suck it up and be a nice sister and just run with her or do my own thing (start with her and when we find we are separate on running times, take it on our own)?
4 comments:
Hmmm. that is a hard one!
I think I would tell her that I want to run on my own!
If she still wants to run I would tell her that she is on her own for pace because you are focusing on your own run.
Good luck with this issue!
My two cents:
People SAY they will run with you, but once a race starts, you will never see them again until the finish line. They will get caught up in the excitement and give'r.
This is why I never run WITH anyone or let anyone run WITH me. I'm afraid of letting someone down or making someone push their limits too far to keep up.
Run your own race. Period.
You've proved that you can kick ass at that.
I just ran my second half this weekend and I have an idea for you! Tell her she's welcome to come watch you start and if she's worried she can drive to the middle and watch you run by. At my race tons of people would go meet their family half-way through or at a pre-determined km mark and watch/cheer them run and then head to the finish line. Why not let her go to the 7 or 10km mark to see you, know you're okay and then watch you finish. You can tell her you love that she wants to support you but this is the way you would like to be supported since you prefer to run alone. Even be honest with her. If she hasn't run 21km already she shouldn't be doing the race with you. You really need to train for a half and can't just jump into it. I know you can do it on your own since I saw you do it in April and don't let her make you feel like you can't and shouldn't because the weather in April SUCKED and you are going to ROCK your run, heel and all.
Also, as far as running with someone it can be helpful but only if you're both comfortable with it. I have a girlfriend who can do a half in 1:55 (my best is 2:31) who will be running a 15 hill run WITH me but we've been training/running it together for a few months now. She has a marathon two weeks after my race and won't be able to really push herself in the race anyway so instead she's going to run with me since having her there always makes me push myself harder. She counts our runs as an easy run for herself and it works out well for us, but we have a tried and true system for getting in a good workout for both of us.
So you are NOT a bad sister, and you have every right to want to keep something so important to you to yourself but if she wants to support you figure out a way she can without having to run with you.
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