Running Your Own Race

COVID has brought a lot of changes to life. I registered for two races last year and both went virtual. I had two races in mind so far for this year, and both got postponed. I felt disappointed, and I was still motivated to train and race. So guess what? I made my own races.

The first race was supposed to be a spring, "Running with the Beards" I did with my husband. We made our training plans and a week or so afterward, it got postponed until the fall. We decided to train and run on the day anyway. I wanted it to feel like a real race, so I ordered things to make up my own swag bag. We took pictures and we went out for breakfast after we ran. All components of a good race day, if you ask me.

The second race was a 10K that also got postponed. A friend and I talked about running a race together, but that got put off due to scheduling issues. I did not want to lose the stamina I had built in base building and training I had put in, so I set out to do it anyway. I picked a time and a place and a pace and set out for it. I did not do as well as I did in my first 10K, but hey, I did it, and I did it alone.

There is a time and a place for racing. Man, I sure do miss it! I think there is a place for running your own race, too. Pick the components of racing that matter to you (time, place, pace, photos, and after party activities for me), and make them happen. (If you don't want to plan, consider enrolling in a virtual activity through a company like I Run for Movement.) You could also do a racing challenge with a long distance friend, like I did for the Avo-Cardio 10K last weekend.

David and Megan Roche write in The Happy Runner about racing as celebration. Celebration is possible without actual races. You just have to do it, make your own race and then run it.