The Importance of Friendly Competition
It’s possible to achieve more together.
Running with your buddies can be well worth it. I’m someone who prefers going as a lone wolf, but I won’t turn down a little friendly competition.
I’ve been on my deployment for nearly a year and have run about 800 miles. Most of my miles were alone. As we near the end of our deployment, feelings of nostalgia kick in. Since we all began to recognize that this camaraderie is coming to a close, we started spending extra time together.
In my unit, there’s one individual who’s as strong of a runner as I am. Sometimes, we’ll run sub-6-minute miles and push ourselves farther than we thought was possible.
As some time has passed since we started our friendly competition, I’ve noticed quite a few benefits.
1. You’ll Push Yourself To Be 10x Faster
My buddy and I went with a group of five to complete a two-mile run. I told myself I would probably fall behind and just sit back.
The opposite happened.
We started running, and I found myself running 10x faster than I expected. I could see my buddy’s shadow approaching every so often (since we ran at night), and I never looked back. Being the lead dog is so stressful since your opponent can just base their pace on you. I ran in zig-zags because I didn’t want to be his meat shield and deflect all the wind.
I ended up winning by a hair.
Lesson: If you’re a competitive individual, you’re going to push yourself to perform at the highest level. You’ll hold yourself accountable for the pride you feel from your race.
2. You May Smile 10x as Much Throughout The Race
When I do my running competitions, I noticed that I laugh and smile a ridiculous amount. I can’t wipe the smile off my face because I get so excited and nervous when someone approaches me.
If they get ahead, I give a devilish grin because they have no idea what I’ve got left in the tank. I find racing incredibly entertaining and highly advise it if exercise has gotten stale for you.
Lesson: Friendly competition is supposed to be fun. There are no hard feelings at the end, only love and support. Both athletes should be proud of their accomplishments. The odds are that they performed better with their friend versus if they went alone.
3. You Will Create More Memories
Memories are a fantastic asset in life. When times get tough, we have our positive memories to reflect on. Having friendly competitions will grow a bond even deeper than you expected.
Competition in any sport has been one of my easiest ice-breakers when joining a new school and joining the Army. Without sports, I wouldn’t have been able to meet as many people.
Lesson: Friendly competition brings people together and allows everyone involved to achieve more. If you lose, so be it, you’ll learn so much more from your buddy and becoming stronger for it.
Through friendly competition, we will:
- Push ourselves to be 10x faster
2. Smile 10x more throughout the race
3. Create more memories
Achieving your fitness goals is more than possible solo, but when you have your buddies together, the vibes are much more communal, and everybody can learn something from one another.
By exercising competitively, we can learn new capabilities within ourselves and new tricks from our friends.
When you’re feeling down or that exercise is not getting you as excited as it used to, invite one of your close friends! Together everyone achieves more — and that’s the acronym for team. Find your team and achieve more, together!