Running Together, Alone

Even introverted runners miss the camaraderie of live racing

As an elementary school teacher, a father of three and a professional storyteller, I have a life that’s busy, messy and loud. I take my job very seriously, I adore my children and telling stories is an essential creative outlet. But there are days (and weeks and even months) when it is all too much. That is, in large part, why I run.

Running is solitary time for me. It is my sanctuary and my studio. It is not until I am alone and running that I realize how much I appreciate being alone. This strange and unpredictable time we find ourselves in due to covid- 19 has changed everything – how we interact, how we work, how we shop, even how we run. Like many people, I’ve always run alone, but now I train and race alone as well. One Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago I ran a marathon in four parts. A couple of months back I ran the High Park Spring Run-Off 8k in downtown Guelph, Ont., and this summer I ran the Muskoka Band on the Run half-marathon, right here in Wellington County. Alone. It’s been an interesting experience and an unusual season, knowing that while I have been doing these runs there have been other runners all over southern Ontario and beyond, doing the same distance and the same races, sometimes even at the same time. Alone.

But I miss the crowds at the races. We all do – even those of us who appreciate the seclusion, independence and peace we get from running alone. While running gives me a break from my other responsibilities, racing gives me a break from the solitude of running. Racing is the part of my running experience where I find familiarity, camaraderie and community. For now, that is missing. There is no expo to pick up my bib, kit and gift bag where I might bump into someone I know or get some lastminute advice from a pro or elite runner. There is no one to carpool with early Sunday morning. There are no shoulder-to-shoulder best wishes in the corral, no encouraging words from pace bunnies, spectators or other participants on the route. Worst of all, there is no one to swap stories with at the finish line.

My wife and kids gladly welcome me home and congratulate me after these virtual races. But there is nothing like talking to other runners while we’re all catching our breath having just crossed the finish line, or being able to tell someone you just couldn’t catch them during those last two kilometres (or better still, being told that by someone else). At the end of the race, we’re not strangers any more – we’ve just shared a unique experience. Together.

I miss that.

I’m interested to see how school goes when it starts up again this fall ( both for me as a teacher and for my kids), and I look forward to telling stories in front of live audiences again. Until then, I’ll keep running as often as I can and until we can all gather, I’ll keep racing virtually as well. Maybe someday soon we can share all those stories.

Brad Woods is a father, storyteller and educator who runs in and around Guelph, Ont.