I was doing my normal morning run when I saw another runner
I know, and we stopped running and began chatting. He is about my age, but I
got to know him because I knew his son, Gray. I said, “I will be running a
race with your son.” He said, “How long?” I said “50k” He
replied “Wow”. I later said he
could join us, but he said that was too long. Even though when I talked about
doing a shorter distance, he was still a definite no. Eventually he said I am not very competitive.
I don’t race. I have been running for fifty years and maybe did two or three
races.” I was stunned but I respect his
philosophy. He just likes running and believe me if I had to choose to only do
races or just daily runs I would definitely choose just the daily runs. I did
mention to him that “I don’t race to win but I like races to see new places
and meet people.”
While I like to race, I have seen people who are the
opposite of my friend who are so dialed in to place in the top three or some
other time goal, that it borders on being obsessive. Marathoners are often that
way, rating each other by the time whether it is three or four hours. I am
definitely not that way. I don’t remember what my times are for any of my
races.
Don’t get me wrong, I am competitive, but my competition is
with myself not others. You see I have the luxury of being in my mid-sixties so
I know I can’t win against the much younger runners. So, while I push myself to
my limits, I have no anxiety over where I finish.
Now don’t get me wrong I am not laissez faire about the
races. If I hear footsteps behind me, I instinctively pick up my pace. If I see
a runner in front of me that I think I can pass I make that a goal. Yet I know
that I will get passed by other runners and that I will pass others. I am
however running faster than on my normal morning runs. The other runners
motivate me to go faster and be my best.
The other thing I like about races is to add to what I said to my friend. I love running in new places, especially trail races. I have explored so many parks in New Jersey that I would not have visited without entering the race. I now have entered trail races in other states and have thoroughly enjoyed those runs as well. Sometimes I know that the terrain will be difficult which only makes it more attractive as a race because it will push me even more. In those races even though I am well behind the leaders I feel like I share in the accomplishment of just finishing.
The other reason I race is just the vibe of a race. Almost all races, whether they are a road race,
or a trail race are a festive scene. Runners a very supportive of each other.
For most of us it really is not about winning but doing our best. On a couple of occasions, I have slowed down
my pace to help another runner get to the finish line. I finished much further
back than I normally would have but I made a friend instead. A great trade off.
A short while later I was at that race with Gray and another
friend Dan. Both are young enough to be my sons. It was my first race in a
couple of months, and I was returning to that race scene vibe. It would be a
very difficult 50k. It was the Febapple Frozen Fifty by the NJ Trail Series. The trails were almost completely ice. I strapped on my Yaktrax and put my brand-new
trekking poles in my backpack in case I needed them. I have never used them before,
but the icy conditions made me think they may help.
As if Gray’s dad had somehow put a spell on this race to
turn it into a run, the race director announced that his timing system was not
working and that he could not give us times. He followed that up by saying the
trail conditions were bad and that if anyone wanted to, they could drop down to
a shorter distance. For us that meant a twenty miler or even a ten miler.
It was a good thing that I was not racing to win because
that first ten-mile loop went as bad as any I had ever had. Not even a mile
into the run I took a spill, and my trekking poles flew out of my pack, and it
took quite a bit of time to take off my pack and readjust everything. Then in a
series of mishaps both of my shoelaces came loose and needed to be retied. My
one Yaktrax broke. I missed a turn and wasted time. I again fell hard. This
time, setting off an alarm in my Garmin sending for help. Who it was sending a
message to I had no idea because I didn’t even know I had that feature. I
realized a little later that the alarm had also stopped my GPS so I had no idea
how far I had gone.
It was at this point I said to myself “This is not my day
maybe I will drop down.” Yet I decided to continue on. I had a long run at
the Grand Canyon coming up and I needed to persevere. As I came to the aid station
to start my last five miles there was my friend Dan. It was a welcome sight. A
friendly face when you are struggling always helps. Gray, who is much faster
than either one of us, was six miles ahead and had finished already. Dan and I would do the last five miles
together. I think he was just as happy as I was to have someone alongside him
to help get through this difficult race.
It wasn’t pretty but we finished. Our time was at least an
hour and a half slower than it would have been under normal conditions. The icy
terrain had really tested us. I had overcome all my gear issues and falls. I
had almost decided to quit. In reality, I was not really running but slogging
up and down icy trails. I know I said that I don’t race to win but somehow this
finish made me feel like a winner. I had persevered. That is another reason I
like racing, you can feel like a winner even when you don’t win. Maybe I do
race to win.
