Solitude versus Sociability

Longest run ever on Sunday. Started off at 7am not wanting to get out of bed. Had a coffee then decided to JfDI (just f*cking do it) and stop procrastinating. Got to the gym, still not 100% in the right mindset, and got changed. Got on the treadmill and stretched off, then set my target distance at 18km, chose music a bit more upbeat than normal to get me going and set off. I debated about setting a target, but reasoned that there is only one thing that really drives me when I struggle to get going and that is failure. Am finding my rhythm and at 7km am nicely loose and starting to enjoy myself. The gym is getting busier and I've a few cheers on the Nike plus to let me know people are watching me. Can't fail now. At 12k I take an energy gel and change my music over to some rock tunes instead of the dance stuff I've used to get me moving. Then at 14k, the bloke at the side of me says "how long are you going for?" At first I'm a bit pissed off. I'm enjoying the solitude and the constant internal challenge. I remove my earphones and say "as long as it takes to do 18k. You?" We start chatting. His name is Joe and he is nearing 50. Runs every day for between 30mins and an hour. We talk races, timings, strategies etc. before you know it, 30mins have passed and I'm now at 19k! Valuable lesson for me that day! Being distracted and just going with the flow on long runs can be beneficial. I thank Joe for his support and help to which he turns to me and says "no, thanks to you because I've learnt loads and don't feel anywhere near as tired as normal. I've seen you in here quite a bit and wanted to know how such a big lad can train like you do!". I think that was a compliment..... Am now looking forward to breaking up my half marathon in May with some conversation along the way and more importantly, Joe and I are going to share some chat time on our Sunday mornings in future!