a friend wrote a great post on her blog a couple of weeks ago concerning crossing over the chasm of running for fun to running as competition. it is a great and insightful post. you should take the time to read it. i commented on the post, and in light of my most recent race performance they were good words to review today. (i think i just patted myself on the back in semi-public...uhhhh...that was awkward.) here they are, hopefully, for your benefit as well:
i often remind myself that it is about perspective. i have goals, and that is what keeps me motivated, but in reality it is more about the experience of pushing myself than what happens at the end of the race in my age group or overall field that reminds me why i run. i gain far more satisfaction from giving everything i have in a race than not and doing well; there simply aren't any nagging wonders about what could have been when that is the case.
happy running!
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2 comments:
I really appreciate your thoughtful ramblings, Aaron. I was kind of amazed at how at peace I was when I injured a hip flexor three weeks before that 50k last January for which I had done so much training. Maybe because I made myself not even wear a watch when I ran, and aimed for slowness, in a way, I managed to be proud of the work I did and the journey, even though I didn't get the reward of the race. Not an easy space to get one's head in, usually, though being older helps.
thanks EPM. i know the tension that comes with injury, decisions, and racing. i also find that there is a lot of benefit to running without a watch at times. if you have time goals, quite obviously, you will need to wear one to measure progress, but there is a lot of power in running to be more in tune with your own body without gadgets to help you along that path. i think part of the difficulty in getting to the space you are pointing toward is the reward based culture we live in with racing. i also have found there to be a significant difference in running demeanor between the trail and road running communities. no judgement on either there, but an observation of the way training and races play out.
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