Sunday, September 17, 2006

To Socialize or Not?

Oftentimes during the marathon, you will encounter other runners who will be running your pace and may wish to engage you in conversation. It's a personal decision as to if you wish to stick with them and chat along the way. The positive aspect of socializing is that many great friendships have been started this way, and that talking to others is a great way to take your mind off the physical discomfort you may face later in the marathon. On occasion, runners who are experiencing great difficulty in the later stages of the event make pacts with one another as a motivational strategy as a means of finishing the race.

The other view pertaining to socializing is that talking may rob you of valuable energy you may need later. The last miles of the marathon can be quite draining mentally. For that reason itself, you may choose to run the last miles without much conversation. Also, running with someone may slow you down. You'll undoubtedly finish the marathon, but sticking with someone slower may compromise your chances of achieving a personal goal. marathontraining.com

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