Most mornings, I run without a watch and by myself. And most evenings for the past 25 years, I’ve stood on a soccer field surrounded by a roster of kids who need direction, encouragement, and a reason to trust in the process of making progress.
Team versus solo.
It’s pretty easy to pit these ways of training against one another, but I truly don’t think it’s a matter of which way is better. Training alone and training with others flex different muscles and form different habits.
That’s why I’ve come to think of it less like either/or and more like cross training.
What Solo Training Builds
When it’s just you and the path, there’s no one to match pace with and no one watching to see you throw in the towel earlier. The absence of an audience forces you to generate your own reason to keep going. It’s not a matter of peer pressure, saving face, or competing.
You’re on your own.
Before I was a seasoned runner, I assumed the hardest part of training alone would be boredom. What I’ve found instead is that the hardest part is the total ownership over your choices, whether you push harder, ease up, or stop altogether.
Solo training is where self-honesty grows. It makes for a great rehearsal for those moments in leadership, in your career, when you’re the only one there to hold yourself accountable.
For me, this is the hardest in the summertime, when the heat and humidity have me breaking a sweat before I’ve found my stride. It’s hard—sometimes it feels impossible. But it’s also worth doing.
They say integrity is doing the right thing when people aren’t looking, and the principle is the same here.
The Benefit of Group Training
Now let’s look at the flipside. Put people in a group, move toward the same goal, and the atmosphere will change in an instant. People who never push themselves that hard will match the pace of the person next to them. They don’t have to be asked, because effort is contagious.
Maybe that’s our natural human inclination for teamwork, competition, and camaraderie. So many of us thrive in groups but struggle in isolation.
Group training also gives you real-time feedback from a perspective beyond yourself. A running partner can notice your form breaking down before you realize it, or your coach—maybe even a teammate—identifies the blind spot you’ve been ignoring.
You don’t get that kind of instant feedback or the chance to adjust in the moment when you’re training alone.
Combining Solo & Team Training
A lot of driven people I know pick one mode and stick with it. And loyalty can be admirable, but it’s not the same thing as discipline.
Solo training without ever getting real-time, outside feedback can harden into stubbornness. Group training alone can leave you dependent on external motivation that won’t always be there.
So use both on purpose.
3 Easy Applications to Try Now
If you’re new to training or you’ve stuck to one mode of the other thus far, here are a few ways to find a better balance.
Protect at least one solo session a week, even if you’re typically a group person. Use this session to test whether your motivation remains without the extra accountability. If it doesn’t, you’ve discovered more about where your drive is coming from.
Bring at least one other person into your hardest goal, even if you’re naturally independent. A single accountability partner, mentor, or training group will help you see where you can improve and push forward.
Match the mode to the moment. Use that solo time to build internal discipline that will hold up under pressure. Other times, use group efforts to stress-test your assumptions alongside people who will tell you the truth.
I’ve definitely needed both sides. And if you’re used to one way, or you’re social (or not), changing can be difficult. You might feel a lot less productive as you grow accustomed to a new way of training. But remember, you’re building up different mental muscles.
Ask yourself which one you’ve been avoiding lately. If you can’t remember your last fully solo effort or your last group training session, maybe it’s time to change that.
What’s your method for balancing solo training with group accountability? I want to hear your approach in the comments.