I have heard recently and down through the years runners who are unhappy with race times. Why?
Running is a very fair sport, you get back what you put in. It is impossible sometimes to determine a finishing position as that totally depends on what other runners are there and how they rate compared to you. Nothing you can do about that.
Finishing times are a different matter. That is within your remit and under your control but why let it be such a huge part of your enjoyment?
If you did your best then walk away and take learnings from it. There will be another day.
To run is fantastic and something we shouldn’t take for granted.
To finish a race is a privilege denied to many of the population. Once you can start and finish a race then automatically you are elite among the population of this country because only about 5% could even dream of finishing a 10 mile race for instance.
The fixation that your finishing time should determine whether you enjoyed the race or not is a bad idea.
It should be taken as one of the many factors that make up a race day.
Fun, friendship, getting to see somewhere new, the sense of satisfaction at the finish line, the bad running photos, the cuppa are all vital parts of any day.
Just one to think about next time you need or feel like a moan after a race.
Are they recovering from injury or illness?
Are they finishing their first race?
Are they doing for a special cause.
If they finished 5 minutes behind you and are happy is it fair for you to be ‘sitting there with a puss on you’.
Missing Olympic Qualification by 1 second can be devastating. Missing your PB by 40 seconds in a half-marathon is not even remotely close.
Run to enjoy and improve yourself.
Maybe like me run to beat the aging process.
Permanent fixation on PB’s leads to a short career.
Maybe these are words many didn’t want to read but I’m only trying to put perspective on things.
Maybe I should listen to the words of the great Annie Lennox .... Why 🎼
That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words
That keep on falling from your mouth.... "
Have a good weekend. If you are living in Munster hopefully you can avoid the rain.
1 comment:
You make an excellent point, Pat. As runners, we all have different abilities, stamina, goals and motivations. It's only when you are injured or sick do you realise how important being able to run is. At those moments, PB's are a million miles away. We should never take things for granted. As you say, being able to run and take part is everything, along with all of the benefits that it brings for mental and physical health. Happy running!
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