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4 tips for running with your partner

Follow this advice to ensure your romantic Valentines run doesn't turn into disaster

running couple

With Valentine’s Day upon us, you may be thinking that going on a run with your special someone would be a great way to bring the both of you closer together. While running with your significant other can be fun, it also has the potential to turn into a disaster. Follow these tips to ensure that your romantic rundezvous (see what we did there?) doesn’t end up in a race to see who can get away from the other faster.

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Communicate, communicate, communicate

There’s a good chance that one of you is faster or more experienced than the other, so it’s important to discuss the details before lacing up. Ask questions like ‘How far are we going?’ ‘What kind of run are we planning on doing: easy, moderate, tempo, hard?’ and ‘Who is setting the pace?’ Failure to ask these questions could result in one of you getting upset at the other for pushing them too hard and then leaving them in the dust, and one of you resenting the other for holding them back.

If you are the faster runner, remember that once you’ve agreed to go for a run with your partner, you’ve agreed to go at a pace that you can both handle. This will likely mean that you have to slow down, and if you’re not OK with that, then perhaps running is an activity you’re better off doing solo.

Keep the conversation light

Now is definitely not the time to discuss your family budget, your latest row with your mother-in-law or that thing that they said this morning that you didn’t like. Planning your next trip, dreaming up the fancy dinner you’ll make when you get back from your run or laughing about the comedy special you watched last night are fair game.

Choose a new route

Exploring a new route that neither of you have run can turn your run date into an adventure, and make for some fun memories when you inevitably get lost. Or it can turn into a major fight, so use this tip at your own risk.

Compliment each other — a lot

‘Those new tights look amazing on you’, ‘wow, your running form is incredible’, ‘you make running look so easy’ — we all love to be complimented once in a while, especially by our significant other, so why not do it on your run? Besides, is there anything more attractive than watching your partner sweat it out on a run? We think not.

Running with your significant other may not be the most conventional date, but it can be a fun way to bring the two of you closer together, and who wouldn’t want to get their workout and their date in at the same time? You can strengthen your relationship while you strengthen your bodies — it’s a win-win!

RELATED: Run into love: Couples who met thanks to running

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