How many of you train with a partner or maybe you got into sport to do something together with your partner?
Sport might be some thing you do together or it might be something you do to support another individual. When we do a sport it’s one dynamic to be the athlete: communicating our schedules, our goals and how everything is going to work within everyones’ lives. That requires open communication and good planning. It’s another dynamic to be the support role where you cover a few more gaps when needed in other areas of day to day life — you offer support and encouragement and make it possible for the other person to reach his or her goals.
Now, it adds an entirely new dynamic if you both people in the same house do sport and even more so if you do it together. This can be an enormous joy and provide bonding and true understanding. However, it can also provide an entire new set of challenges if planning and communication are not laid out very clearly.
Some things I’ve learned work really well over the years if you plan to continue to have fun with your partner while supporting each other in their goals.
- Before heading out the door, clearly outline your intentions for the session. There is probably nothing worse than one person heading out with one goal in mind, the other has an entirely different goal and nobody communicates that until they are out in the middle of a session cursing at each other.
- Set up positive ways to push each other. Maybe the weaker athlete starts his or her interval first. Then he or she can try to hold the faster person off while the faster person starts a few minutes later with the goal of catching up. It becomes a mutually beneficial push between both athletes without one simply getting left behind. In the pool, one athlete can do a little longer distance but both leave on the same pace time. Set up situations to work well together but allow both athletes to get what they need out of the session.
- This might sound funny, but set up separate training from time to time. It’s a good idea to incorporate sessions where you completely go with separate groups or different sessions. Continue to be your own athlete and allow the other one to go be on his or her own.
- Leave your baggage at the door. It’s a good idea to have an unwritten policy to leave any home baggage at home. Come into your sessions together focused on being present in the actual session. Then, once you’re back home address what you need to at home. Leave training time as focused training time.
These are a few of my tips from what I’ve seen work over the years either with others or for myself. Continue to have fun out there and remember, like any other piece of a relationship: communication is key.
