Since beginning my official quest to get in better shape (i.e. when I got my Fitbit) I have been very lucky to have an amazing group that keeps me accountable. I even have my very own accountability partner who keeps me motivated every single day, whether I want to get out and get moving or not. He’s such a good motivator that he convinced me to go along with his crazy plan of signing up for a marathon this year… A thing I am still a little scared of, but training my heart out for. What I have never had though, is a running buddy. I have no friends in the area who run, so I am always out there alone. And, it sucks to not have a running buddy… There’s no one there to tell you to keep going, there’s no one there to hold you accountable, you just have to do it on your own.

Let’s Find A Running Buddy

Thankfully, I found several good running groups on Facebook, and started adding friends, just to keep motivated when I saw their running posts in my newsfeed, and to be able to turn to them for advice. I found myself with quite a few running buddies online. Thank God, because it is so easy to lose steam and motivation, and I did not want that to happen.

One day, I saw one of my Facebook running buddies posting about some places and races that were near me, and about a marathon she signed up for that was the same day as mine. I don’t know why I had never checked out her profile before (maybe I was just lazy?) but I went and snooped. I was so excited to see that she lives in a city that is about 45 minutes from me. Could this be my new running buddy? I messaged her. Mostly about her training plan, and casually mentioned (or begged) her to be my running buddy for long runs one day a week, unless she already had a running buddy, in which case I completely understood.

This beautiful sweet woman wrote me back, I think just as excited as me, and asked me when I wanted to start running with her. We will start this Sunday… I could not possible be more excited. She is way more prepared than I am, she has a hydration plan, and she even has a coach that tells her how far to run (unlike my training plan that I found online).

I can’t wait to spend the next four months training with my new running buddy… I hope we kick each other’s asses every week until this marathon seems like a piece of cake. More than anything, I hope that we can learn from each other’s experiences… Lord knows, I have a lack of experience when it comes to long distance running.

I’ll have to update you next week on my first long run with her. Hopefully she doesn’t decide to kick me to the curb. 🙂