The "talk test" is a useful measure of your fitness, and whether you are exercising at the right intensity for you. But even if you could pass it with flying colours, it doesn't follow that you have to keep up a conversation with your running buddy about their holiday plans, their boss or what they watched on TV last night. Far better for some of us to have a little quiet time to think, enjoy the view and concentrate on our lap times, speed and even the great music on our running playlist.
And if you're running solo, you have all that extra freedom – to vary your route, speed up, slow down or even pack it in early. Do you really want to have to negotiate with a group for just an extra half-mile, or a spot of interval training, when you're feeling energetic?
On the other hand, many of us wouldn't make it out of the front door, let alone to end of a Sunday morning run, without the peer pressure, sorry, we mean support, of a running club or training partner. Running buddies can encourage you when your legs are flagging, share tips and advice (just like you lovely people do on these open threads). Even more importantly, you won't want to let them down by dawdling, or let yourself down by holding the group back. There's a reason most of us race in groups, and not just in time-trials against a stopwatch.
On balance, are you a lone wolf or a pack dog? How do you choose your companions – and what, if anything, do you talk about en route?
