Race Time

As you might imagine, I have a number of friends who love running.  Duh!  What's not to love?  But the friends I'm talking about are among the few who keep their running very personal.  They run by themselves.  They go out and consistently get in five or so miles a day, rain, snow, or shine, and are in great shape.  They are motivated to run because they love the feeling they get from running, the feeling of being in shape, and the way they look in the mirror.

But they have no interest in running races. They aren't trying to challenge themselves to run a better time, or finish in a certain place.  They don't necessarily need the crowds, or the festival atmosphere at many races.

I get that.  Running, at it's core, is a solitary activity.  I am often most at peace and do my best thinking when I'm on a long run by myself.  If I'm upset about something when I start a run, it's a pretty good bet I'll have calmed down by the end of the run.  I'm sure I would continue to run even if I never ran another race.  

But I hope that's not going to happen anytime soon.  That's because as much as I enjoy running for it's own benefit, Ialso have always considered it a sport.  That means getting  out and racing occasionally.

I don't consider someone who never races to be any less a runner than someone who races every weekend, but there is something to be said for entering races.  They are fun, and it's great to share the experience with a large group of like-minded people.  As I've talked to some of my friends who race a lot, the conversation this time of year always seems to include racing plans for the upcoming season.  "What are you training for?" is a common question.  This is the time of the year when many runners are starting to build up for spring marathons, or shorter races like the Shamrock Shuffle.

Bravo to them.  Last year it seemed like I was racing every other weekend.  It was fun, and I had some memorable experiences in some of those races.  Many of them I did with some of my regular weekend running partners.  It's nice to get off the usual trails and roads and test ourselves in race conditions. 

None of us are lighting the world on fire, and we are all significantly slower than we used to be, but we can still set goals and try to reach them.  That's why I try to set modest goals! 

In any case, my goal this year is to race a little less than last year, and train for the Chicago marathon beginning in the early summer.  Before that, I plan to run some of my usual suspects.  Next is the March Madness 1/2 marathon in Cary, and the Shamrock Shuffle next month.  Memorial Day weekend always includes the Soldier Field 10 miler.  In June, I plan on running the Ragnar Chicago relay.  There's the 4 on the Fourth in Elmhurst in July, and the Rock and Roll half marathon in August.  I'm sure there are many others that I'm not remembering right now. 

Last year my spring objective was to 'race myself into shape' by doing races every weekend.  This year I hope to try a more traditional method.  We'll see.  But if you do plan on doing a bunch of races, you should read what my friend, Coach Jenny Hadfield wrote in a blog entry in Runner's World's website.  She is offering advice to runners doing multiple races this summer with little time to train in between.  She has some good perspective.  Here's a link: http://askcoachjenny.runnersworld.com/2012/02/racing-multiple-marathons-everything-you-need-to-know.html?cm_mmc=NL-TrainingExtra81801602212012-_-Multiple%20Races%3F%20Read%20This

In the meantime, whether you run with lots of people or by yourself, enjoy it.  See you on the roads.............

 

Comments

[Pete B]

Nice article by Coach Jenny. I like her philosophy of not "burning through all your race points in the first event." Actually racing a marathon can set your training back a few weeks due to the intense recovery needed. Maybe I'll see you next month at the March Madness 1/2!

[justin bieber shoes]

Plus I always had a homeroom and all the paperwork that entails.