5 Ways Running Can Strengthen Your Relationship

 

In order for any relationship to be successful it must be built upon a strong foundation.  It should also be built on trust and communication.  It must be able to overcome any obstacle, weather any storm, and always come out stronger in the end.  The strength of each person relies heavily on the other and if they work together they can accomplish anything and everything.  I have listed 5 ways that running can help improve and strengthen many facets of any relationship.  Perhaps it can be said that the couple that runs together stays together.

1.  QUALITY TIME:  Running gives people the ability to run together, which in turn leads to more quality time spent in each other’s company.  When you are running with your partner it often feels like it is the both of you against the world, nothing else around you matters.  In our busy lives it is often difficult to find time to spend together.  With the emergence of facebook, texting and various kinds of social media, together time in actual physical terms seems to be fading into oblivion.  Fortunately, running does not allow you the luxury of having your face glued to your iPhone or any smart phone for that matter.  Thus, couples that run together have the unique ability to spend actual quality time with one another; they just happen to be wearing workout clothes.

2.  ACCOMPLISHING GOALS:  Setting goals in life is a necessity for any successful person.  The same holds true for any relationship to survive.  Each person should have the same goals in mind; to love completely, to trust always and to work hard at it every single day.  When you become runners you add a specific goal to every single run, which is, put simply, to finish.  The important thing is that you finish together.  You are both attempting to accomplish the same goal (on the same team), which means you are motivating each other, but most of all, you are working together.  This allows the both of you to realize that together you can accomplish anything.  Running is not always easy, just like any relationship, but when you both put your heart, soul and mind into it the rewards are bountiful. 

3.  COMMUNICATION:  We all know that communication is the key for any relationship to survive.  Fortunately, it is important to communicate with your partner on every run, especially long distances.  If you and your partner are training for a half marathon or marathon and you are out for your long run it is imperative that you talk in order to ensure you are not running too quickly.  Thus, long distance running gives any two people the ability to communicate for a long period of time without any significant distractions.  It provides great one on one interaction and allows each person the ability to listen as well as respond.  It’s amazing how easy it is to get lost in conversation over a long run.  It is often a necessity to get you through a run.  Spending quality time together and reinforcing it with great communication can enhance an otherwise mundane relationship. 

4.  OVERCOMING ADVERSITY:  Unfortunately, with running, as in any sport, it is likely you will face some kind of adversity.  It is possible one of you will suffer an injury or grow weary and weak from the training at some point.  But, it is important to not look at this as a devastating blow.  You must see it as an opportunity to overcome an obstacle together.  (If one of you falls then the other is there to pick you up.) When one person is injured it oftentimes demoralizes the healthy person and derails their training.  But, if you both work together to get back on track then it teaches you to overcome obstacles and weather any storm together, making you both stronger in the end.  It allows any couple to realize the importance of sticking together during the hard times and hopefully leads to the realization that in life there will be struggles, but if you stick together you can make it through them.

5. MEMORIES:  You will never forget your first race.  You will never forget your best run.  Most of all, you will never forget who was running beside you through it all.  The memories you will make through all of your runs will undoubtedly be filled with thoughts of joy.  When you look back as a couple you will always remember what you accomplished together along with every race and every personal victory that you were able to share.  You will have stories you will be able to tell your children and grand children.  You will have memories of health and happiness.  Most of all, there will be wonderful memories of your smiling partner when he/she finished every run.