It’s the time of the week again where you put on your running gear, head to your usual venue and prepare to go for another run which could possibly be your next personal best timing or distance. However, the thought of having to conquer this path alone might make you feel slightly bored and unmotivated. And then, an idea struck you – why not ask your girlfriend along?
Indeed, running has long been associated with the idea of being an individual sport. As such, people often forget that having a partner to run with, in this case a loved one, can actually add some element of fun and chemistry into the supposedly solo activity.
1. Take the First Step
As a boyfriend, the last thing you would want to do is to force your partner into doing something she dislikes. If running happens to be an activity which is out of her list of hobbies, do not lose hope and simply scrap the idea of running together! Try to find a suitable time, perhaps mealtime conversations or the night before a run, and share with her the benefits of running and how much you would like her to be part of your activity.
Bring her along on a sports gear shopping spree and recommend her suitable running shoes, attire and adding elements of running into her favorite pastime is definitely a great idea!
In addition, you and your partner can go for running dates at romantic locations, for instance, a night run along the paths at the scenic Marina Bay, or even sign up for an overseas marathon event as part of the itinerary of your getaway trips!
2. Running Together
We all know that the female and male physiological differences account for the general differences in running abilities between woman and man. However, that does not mean that couples cannot run together and that your girlfriend has to end up chasing after you for most parts of the run instead.
When running with her, you need not deliberately slow down your speed to match hers so as to literally run side by side together. You can leave a comfortable buffer distance between both of you for her to catch up and keep her within your view for safety reasons. While the slower runner can practice on speed and strength training, the faster runner can train on pacing, stamina or even try out new things such as increasing cadence, breathing patterns and more.
Hence, running with a partner who has a different running ability is beneficial for both parties and a valuable opportunity to know each other more.
3. Jazzing Up the Couple Run
Friendly competitions and challenges are ways to spice things up between you and your partner, where goal timings or distances can be set for each other and perhaps the winner gets a meal treat from the other as a reward! Another idea would be to set a target timing difference which would require the effort of both to keep the differences in completion time as small as possible.
For instance, a target for timing difference of 10 minutes between you and your partner for a 10km run can be set. If you completed the run first, you will have to find different ways to make your girlfriend finish as soon as possible within 10 minutes; be her personal pacer, cheerleader, timekeeper and anything else you can think of to achieve the goal together.
It will be quite a challenge at first to adapt to these running practices but running as a couple is nonetheless an interesting, interactive and healthy activity and the satisfaction from achieving fitness goals by working together is beyond description and definitely a relationship booster.
Be a running boyfriend who cares, motivates and love your running girlfriend for putting herself in your shoes, your running journey and your life.
my girlfriend no. small city on i living. im single.