By Leah Connor
On Friday, I ran into a neighbor on the Riverview Park trail and then saw her again that evening at the new yogurt shop that had just opened.
She was so excited because she had run 10 miles for the first time. I was quite impressed and asked her what race she was training for.
Imagine my surprise when she said she hadn't signed up for anything!
The thought of running 10 miles just for fun without it leading up to a goal race is a foreign concept to me.
I couldn't imagine spending all the hours I do training without having the chance to both perform and socialize on race day.
Some runners enjoy the solitude of running and/or don't think they are fast enough to participate in a local race.
Having recently finished dead last in a track event, I know firsthand that being the final person to cross the finish line can be just as exciting and fulfilling as winning.
For me, the destination (race) is equally important to the journey (training).
I decided to count the number of times I've toed the starting line this year.
I've competed in 20 races (well 21 if you count the 4k race I walked with my daughter the day after running a half-marathon!).
That means this weekend was only the 3rd weekend I didn't have a race in the past 5 months.
Yikes, that's a lot of racing!
This break is short-lived. I have at least 8 events planned over the next 2 months, shorter races (800M - 10K) that will be more like speed workouts than all out races.
I'm hoping for a new PR at the mile, 2 miles or 5K, but even if I finish last, I'll enjoy the challenge!
