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Okay. Maybe I’ve been wrong.

My friend Adam and I have run together off and on for a few months each Monday morning. I’ve skipped out on most. Our wives run together every other day at 5:30 a.m. and have done so for years. They never miss a run. Adam runs with a group of guys on the other days. And each week for the past year, he’s invited me to go and each time I say no.

Until this morning.

Generally, I fall on some common themes for why I won’t go running with Adam’s group:

1. I like to run alone.
2. 5:30 is too early for anyone to do anything.
3. I don’t like talking when I run.
4. I run better and enjoy it more when I have solitude.

But here’s the reality:

1. “I like to run alone” had turned into “I like to push snooze and skip runs.”
2. Anytime is too early to work out and I just came off the most out of shape summer I can remember.
3. Being with others is about the only thing that will actually get me to change course.
4. Solitude had turned into laziness.

Blech. It’s true. I just had lost my gumption sometime this summer. I knew it. I didn’t like it. And it bugged me. Adam and I went our Monday morning run this week, and jokingly, he said, “I’ll pick you up at 5:15 on Wednesday.” And I said, “Okay.”

So we got to Lake Harriet outside of downtown Minneapolis and met up with his normal group. But because most of them had just run the Twin Cities Marathon, it was actually just Adam, myself, and our friend Paul. I had some relief. At least I didn’t have to pair running with meeting new people. New, in shape, fast people.

The three of us embarked for two laps of the lake, double the distance I’ve been running and at a markedly faster pace. By the halfway point of lap one, my knees were barking and my head started to plan the exit strategy. I figured I’d sit in the car while they finished the second lap. Or maybe I’d just walk for a bit. My brain was deeply analytical about how it was going to save me from more exertion.

But when I suggested that I was going to duck out, Adam and Paul simply offered to slow it down a notch so that we could stay together and I could finish the run.

Suddenly, my knees didn’t ache quite as badly and my brain quieted. Once I was on the second lap, it wasn’t as if I were going to turn around or give up. The exertion was no longer that daunting. As long as I kept up with Adam and Paul who were aware of my limitations and adjusting accordingly, I was going to be okay.

And therein lies the metaphor.

I’m in the business of working with schools and educators around themes of collegiality. And I’m also trying to remind people not only of their need for community but also their personal limitations and boundaries.

The fact is, I wouldn’t have gotten up this morning to run by myself. I would have slept in. And once on the run, I would have chosen a pace and distance far below what I’m actually capable of. Were it not for my friends, I wouldn’t have even taken the first step. More importantly, winter is fast approaching. If I can’t get out of bed when it’s 80 and sunny, I REALLY won’t get out of bed when it’s 10 and snowing. It’s in times that are more trying that I’ll need to rely heavily on community. Don’t we all?

So whatever “I like to run alone” myths you might be espousing in your own life and career – those mantras we repeat but maybe don’t act upon – I encourage you to be more reasonable and accountable to yourself. You’re going to be able to go further and act more consistently when you take on goals in a community.

As for me, I’m going to go stretch. And start getting my head ready for Wednesday’s run.