Together, alone, or with bad company.

There's a saying: "better alone than in bad company". And yes, it applies to dating, to toxic friendships… and also to going for a run.

Because, look, running alone has its perks. It's like having your own reality show: you choose the music, the pace, whether today you'll run like a gazelle or a tortoise with gastritis. No one judges you. There are days when that silence, just with your sneakers and your thoughts, feels like cheap therapy.

Then there's running with company. And there, things change. Suddenly, kilometers turn into conversations: about life, about your crush, about the latest gossip. Sometimes you don't even notice, and boom! you've run more than planned. But it can also be a double-edged sword: because what if your "running buddy" starts with "are we going to stop yet?" from minute two, or worse, the one who seems to be training for Tokyo 2025 and leaves you feeling like you've smoked your whole life. That, folks, is running in bad company. And believe me: nothing kills motivation faster than the wrong company.

And here enters the crown jewel: running in a community. The famous social runs, belonging to a team, a pack, a tribe... call it what you want. It's incredible how, out of nowhere, you suddenly have official cheerleaders for every race. People who shout your name, who take sweaty but happy selfies with you, who share electrolytes as if it were holy water. And yes, when you run in a group, the dynamic changes: the miles fly by, there's plenty of laughter, and even laziness hides, because how can you let down the whole tribe?

Running with a group is like entering a secret club, but with shorts and compression socks. You feel part of something bigger, a collective madness that, for some reason, makes getting up early and suffering on hills seem fun.

So yes, running alone has its magic, running with company can be incredible (or terrible), and running in a community is a different league. In the end, the important thing is that you find your way to enjoy it. Because together, alone, or in bad company… what matters is to keep running.

And if one day you have the wrong company, don't worry: there will always be another race, another group… or you, with your sneakers, running free.