Running Alone Sucks.

That has been a major obstacle to my training this Winter. Lifting alone isn't difficult for me. I don't have too much trouble motivating myself to get down to the nice, warm gym once a day for a lift, even if my workout buddies aren't available. Likewise, I don't have too much trouble sticking to a regimen of pushups and situps. Both of these workouts are comfortable and indoors, which helps me to get them done. Both of these workouts are also fairly regulated. I know how much I can squat and I know how many crunches I can do. These numbers remain roughly the same day in and day out, so I can't easily let up on the workout when there isn't somebody else to push me.

Running is, in every way, quite the opposite. Running outside in the Winter is cold and unpleasant. It is a workout that I detest, and this makes it difficult for me to complete the workout without somebody else to drive me forward. Unlike pushups, situps, and lifting, the severity of a running workout is almost entirely precipitated on the speed that the individual runs. Because of this, a running workout that would be almost impossibly difficult to complete in a group can be relatively tame for an individual, if that individual does not know how to motivate himself.

If the previous two paragraphs haven't already tipped you off, I am not very good at motivating myself to run.

I would say that I've done a pretty good job attempting to run this break. At least a couple times a week I got outside and did a sprint workout. Recently, I have also been using the treadmill at Gold's Gym to run interval workouts. However, I'll have to admit that I haven't gotten out to run as frequently as I would have liked, and the speed with which I have run has been dissappointingly poor. Without other people to hold me accountable, I find my speed inexorably sinking as I reach the end of a sprint. Or I find myself getting distracted and spending too much time between sets. Or I give up on the final sprint and walk home instead of taking a cooldown jog.

I think that I'm in pretty good shape. I look better than I looked at the beginning of break (which isn't necessarily saying much), and I feel okay when I elevate my heart rate. This first week of the spring semester is going to be an important test, however. I need to demonstrate that I can push myself through a tough running workout when I have a couple teammates to urge me on. More importantly, I need to show my teammates that I can be a leader and that I can push them to achieve more than they ever could before.

I'm excited for Tuesday, but it's going to be pretty fucking hard.