From Daniels:
"A race is your expression of your ability to perform in a particular setting. Whether you're running against time or against an opponent, you're out there all alone, calling on all your ability, all the energy you've developed through weeks, months, years of training, and all the mental toughness and motivation you've gained through previous competitions and good coaching.
The goal of all of this is to achieve some predesignated time or place. The best that can happen is that you exceed your pre-race expectations; the worst that can happen (in most cases) is that you don't meet your expectations....."
For me, I absolutely love racing and all that it brings. The steps I run during training, the thoughts I have about running, even the complex carbs I consume is sometimes done with an event in mind.
While I love simply just running, make no mistake about it, I run to race. It was a race that hooked me into our sport. Sure, I could see myself running without events, but man, race day sure is special!
What are your thoughts on running just to run, and running to race? I know one longtime runner who has never even entered an event, is that you? Are events simply a byproduct of our sport and thus viewed as a necessary evil, or do you as I do, salivate at the thought of getting out there and giving it your all?
There are no wrong answers here, just your answer.
Village people
When I started running, racing didn't even cross my mind. It was something I did to get out of the house after having my first son. He is going to be 15 in July! I guess I did watch the Boston marathon every year, but that was more about Boston and not about running. DH and I dreamed of living in Boston, we settled for NH. Also, in 1998, there was no Google. Searching for anything was painfully slow. It was awhile before I was out of baby making mode and looking for somewhere else to direct my focus. That was when I stumbled on rwol and read about all these races.who knew? I read quite awhile before joining, but I still had three kids at home and I didn't consider racing.
Today, I only have one little monster at home. Some days I think about racing, but other days I don't feel ready. For now, I like to run and mileage goals are important to me. The races will always be there if I need a kick in the pants to keep going.
I forget the question.
I started running in May 2000 and other than a surgery last year have never stopped.
I didn't run my first race until August of 2003 (half marathon), more than 3 years after I started running. For the next
few years it was only one race a year (half marathon) because there wasn't much more available and I
was busy with preteens and everything they were involved in.
I like races for what they represent to me: a goal to work toward, a social time with our friends, often a
weekend trip or week long destination trip with my hubby or friends. I really don't care so much about finish times
to make me devote more than 40 mpw to running. I am happy with the race times that allows me to achieve
without running taking up all of my free time and time away from my other interests/hobbies.
I was just as happy with my running and just as motivated in the first 4 years of running before hubby
started and we began getting more involved in the running community and running more races.
Like DJJan, when i started running the internet was not what it is now, we had no local running stores or
anywhere to really buy decent running gear and guess what? I was happy in my ignorance and running
just for the sake of running and enjoying it just as much.
So in summary: races are fun but to me they are just one day, running for me is for health and hopefully for life
(if possible) and races are such a tiny part of the entire picture that if I never raced again I would still keep running
for as many years as I am able.
Chief Unicorn Officer
The only races I haven't raced were my marathons...those were all done with a close friend and frankly she was my training partner and the reason she isn't anymore is because she wasn't interested in getting better, faster, or improving.
I honestly don't know how to "turn it off." Every race is a 100% effort, all out, all the time. Maybe that's why I prefer shorter races. I just don't have any interest in jogging a race just for the experience. Every race is a hope for a PR.
edited to add: we've occasionally discussed whether some of us would continue to run if there were no races. My answer is no. Running is not therapeutic zen time for me. It's not all rainbows and roses and runner's high. It's hard work. If I didn't compete in races, I'd actually probably weightlift a lot more. I enjoy that immensely.
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
Mostly harmless
I enjoy racing but for me it's more about the training. I love training plans and being on a running schedule. I guess at some level I feel a little guilty about the time spent away from my family and having a documented plan helps to relieve that. It's almost like I can say to myself that it isn't my fault that I'm spending X number of hours every week running, it's the plan's fault and I'm just doing what I'm told!
At the same time, I LOVE achieving goals! I always have a goal time set for every race and I'm willing to do just about anything to achieve that goal once the race starts. Thus far I have only failed to achieve my goal for one race. I wanted to run sub 1:50 at the HM in Baltimore last year and I missed that by about a minute. I thought that would bother me a lot and was really surprised when it didn't. I gave it my all and fell a little bit short. I did go back and analyze the crap out of my split times to see where things went wrong so I could learn from it. I'm a firm believer of the quote in my signature.
"It doesn’t matter how often you do it or how much you accomplish, in general, not running is a lot easier than running." - Meb Keflezighi
For me, running is about training. I take pride in my training. I can have a bad day in a race, be sick with a cold, have a nagging injury that prevents me from racing my best, by at the mercy of strong winds, and finish with a time that does not meet my expectations. But if my training was honest, if I gave it the time that it required, if I gave if the sweat and the effort that it demanded of me, then I can be satisfied, no matter what my finish time is come race day. Each training run is for me like a pearl in a necklace (ok, that's tacky..lol...)
Of course, an AG award is like a cherry on a sundae. :-)
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Scott, we think alike.
Why does that make me nervous?
Hip Redux
I started running like the end of May three years ago. My first race was a 5K a few weeks later. lol
I like to run, and I like races, but I don't obsess about either. I don't have the ability to stick to a real training plan so I just try to have fun.
LOL...
Are we there, yet?
I started running as a competitive sport in HS. Even when I returned to running as a yong adult, I returned with the intent of racing and beating my HS times. With the exception of those races where I've paced a friend, I'm out there to push myself to my limits or out think and out race a competitor. (When you're racing for place, sometimes running for your best time isn't always the best strategy.) The race is where you prove your training and show that it is effective.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
I started running like the end of May three years ago. My first race was a 5K a few weeks later. lol I like to run, and I like races, but I don't obsess about either. I don't have the ability to stick to a real training plan so I just try to have fun.
Can you explain that? I can understand not having the desire to use a training plan, but I don't understand what you mean when you say you don't have the ability to stick to a plan.
I run because it's the only form of exercise I've ever been able to stick with consistently, due to the fact that I enjoy it.
I suppose racing keeps me honest. I enjoy it as well.
If races were suddenly outlawed, I’d still run. But I sure as hell would not break my ass with tempo runs or intervals or doubles or hills. Sure, there’s a certain satisfaction with good training, and going through the process learning about your body/mind and what they can do together (and what they can’t). It just seems kind of masochistic to me to train for something and never actually DO that something. Then again, there’s something sick about a racer’s mentality too – you do all this training, and maybe you achieve your race goal…and that’s nice, and about 30 seconds later you think, “damn, what could I have done better” and then start feeling dissatisfied with the goal you just achieved, and start thinking about the next one.
I will say, a race well run, in that moment, there’s nothing like it.
For about 30 seconds, anyway.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
To me, running and racing are two separate things. I run because it makes me feel happier, helps relieve stress, etc. I race to test my limits and push myself. I don't really enjoy racing and I don't race for fun. But because I race, I have to train. Which I also enjoy. Maybe not during the workout but there's a certain satisfaction that comes from successfully completing a hard workout.