The Power of a Training Partner
The right running buddy can help you unlock your potential.
When I first started running in NYC, I almost always ran alone. When I moved to Colorado, I began running almost exclusively with a group. Since then, I’ve found a happy medium—I go through phases where I prefer to suffer solo, and other periods where I crave company.
But over the past year or so, I’ve been spending at least 50 percent of my total workout time with a single training partner. I always laugh a little at myself when I use that phrase; it feels too ~elite~ for some inexplicable reason (I guess, until recently, I really only heard professional athletes talk about their training partners; now, I have several coaching clients who regularly reference their training partners and I’m also seeing the phrase come up more often on social media, which everyone knows is the main barometer for what’s happening in running culture).
There’s something that feels a little more purposeful about regularly training with just one person versus running with a club or crew. And there’s a level of intimacy that comes with spending that much time together. My training partner and I don’t have the same fitness goals. We don’t have the same coach. She’s faster than me. But we spend a good five hours a week lifting and running together, and so we’ve gotten to know each other—and each other’s relationship with running—in a way that feels totally different from my other relationships.
I like to think that we’re in tune enough to know when the other person is having a rough day (physically or mentally) and needs to chill, or if they can dig a little deeper. I’m not her coach and she’s not mine, but I think we both understand each other’s training on a deep enough level to be each other’s slightly-more-informed cheerleader or voice of reason depending on the situation. It’s a relationship that’s helped me reframe how I look at my own running, and I’ve been really grateful for that new perspective.
I do still run with other people! But, for me, what I love about having a training partner comes down to accountability and consistency. There’s just something really nice about sharing a routine with someone else. Running together has become one of my favorite parts of each week, and I hate when life gets in the way of our regular runs—mostly because I have to work that much harder to motivate myself to work out on my own.
There’s plenty of science that backs up the benefits of a training buddy: People who worked out with friends said they enjoyed the exercise more than those who worked out alone in a study out of the University of Southern California, published in 2013. And those who exercised with someone they thought was better than them worked out up to 200 percent harder and longer than others, according to a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine in 2012.
Working out with a partner also better positions you to achieve your running goals because “in terms of adherence to exercise programs in particular, participants benefit most from physical activity when given the opportunity to interact with others,” a study published by the University of Birmingham found. And while running with a partner had no statistical significance on run time and caloric output in a 2019 study from Middle Tennessee State University, running with a partner did make a statistically significant difference by increasing motivation.
Working out with a partner isn’t for everyone. I know that some people prefer the “me time” that comes with solitary runs (sometimes, I prefer that, too!). And even if you’d like to train with someone, it’s not always feasible, what with different work schedules, different coaching programs, different family obligations, whatever. And I don’t think you can force a training partnership; for me, it was something that just evolved naturally.
If you are looking for a training partner, though, there are a few things to keep in mind when considering if that type of relationship would work with another runner. Look for someone without an ego, who isn’t going to turn your workouts together into a competition. But choose someone who will occasionally push you out of your comfort zone, whether that’s by running in a new location, training on a different surface, or trying a workout you’d typically avoid (ugh, hills). Your training partner should be someone of a similar-ish ability (at least when it comes to running). Above all, they should be someone who understands and supports your goals.
the rundown
Mizuno Neo Vista
Disclaimer: I’ve never been a big Mizuno fan. I even said the original Wave Rebellion Pro was a pass back in May 2023 (FWIW, I was wrong about that shoe—I liked it a lot more the more I wore it). But say the word “super trainer” and I’m interested, so there was no way I wasn’t trying the Neo Vista. This shoe has a soft Mizuno Enerzy NXT midsole (it’s EVA foam, nothing fancy); a fiberglass-infused TPU plate to balance out that thick slab of cushioning; Smooth Speed Assist geometry meant to encourage a midfoot strike; and a secure knit upper that’s soft and accommodating (even when you’re wearing a half size too small).
Brooks Is Expanding Into Lifestyle Products
With newcomers like Hoka and On chipping away at the market share of legacy brands like Nike, those industry stalwarts are getting creative. This Fortune interview with the new Brooks CEO is a look at how the brand plans to compete against up-and-comers as well as larger rivals like New Balance. It sounds like we might soon see gear that goes beyond running, a designer collaboration, or a second life for archival products. Whatever it is, the company remains committed to the runner, and won’t be innovating “for innovation’s sake”—although I did laugh a little bit at the quote “innovation is how we justify a $160 price tag,” considering how many brands have gone so far beyond that cost at this point.
The Benefits of Hot Water Immersion
Science has recently confirmed that cold water immersion is bad—from a training perspective—and best left to the Huberman bros, but I’ve always been on #teamhotbath, and a March 2024 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports confirmed that I am correct. "Hot water immersion enhanced vascular and blood marker responses, while also being more enjoyable than exercise alone," the study authors wrote. In the study, participants followed their workout with 30 minutes in water heated to 104°F—similar findings to a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Research in Exercise Physiology. Forget the ice baths, it’s hot girl summer.
Hyperice Releases Normatec Elite
It feels fitting that Normatec would release their most advanced compression boots during an Olympic year, right? The $999 Normatec Elite has (finally!!) ditched all the tubs and control units; instead, they’re controlled via a slim unit attached to the outer thigh of each boot (or the app). I’ve been partial to the Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots, but the bulky battery pack on the feet of those boots add an extra two pounds over these new Normatecs (which still have an extended 4-hour battery life!). These have 7 levels of compression, which is excellent for someone like me who has a very high pain tolerance; and the five overlapping compression zones seemed to fill up a little slower and more intentionally than other boots I’ve tried. They pack up pretty compactly into the included carrying tote, so I think these will be coming with me on my next race trip.
LOL'd at "I go through phases where I prefer to suffer solo"