“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ~ John Bingham
“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” ~ Lance Armstrong
"In running, it doesn't matter if you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." ~ Fred LeBow
“There is no better feeling in the world than to take your mind and body to a place you thought it couldn’t go; a place you thought it didn’t belong. You should all try it sometime.” ~ Shauna Reid
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.” ~ Dean Karnazes
"I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." ~ Steve Prefontaine
"From the moment you cross the start line, you know that crossing the finish line will be one of the best moments of your life." ~ Author Unknown
"You have a choice, you can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face." ~ Gatorade 3
"There is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving." ~ Amby Burfoot
"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." ~ John Bingham
Yep, these are reasons I don’t race often. Mostly time and money. 😉 But, having a race on the calendar does motivate me to do all those other runs.
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I agree. I love racing so I probably do more than I should.
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Racing is also more time consuming than simply going out for a run. Getting there, waiting around for an hour, getting back home — it all adds up.
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But I enjoy it much more than a solo run.
I also would be less likely to run during the week if I didn’t have a race on the weekend. You are much more disciplined than I ( or you have to be accountable to a paid coach LOL).
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As you know I did my training long before I had a coach. Everyone is different. And therefore everyone does different things.
It’s what makes the world go round.
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That is so true.
I think I was more serious when I first started running half marathons. Now I realize that running is more about fun than finish times. But I am getting faster with less running. Go figure!
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Definitely true! Money is the main reason I’ve tried to cut down on racing. I’m thankful for the low key races the local running group puts on because they’re free for members 🙂
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I used to race a lot more than I do now. I just don’t care about my race times or who I beat anymore. Been there done that. Color me apathetic. I loathe having to add extra miles before or after a race to satisfy a long run. Not fun at all but I guess its good for mental toughness.
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Maybe when I have been running as long as you have, I’ll feel the same way. It still feel rather new and I am still hoping to get faster before I start to slow down.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel like running more miles when I am done with a short race but I know I can’t run 13.1 miles without any long runs.
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Money and time are definitely my main reasons for scaling back on racing. I’m only running a handful this year.
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I race for the social aspect – but this year, I’ve cut out a couple of races that I always have done, mostly for money and time constraints. It does add up, but hey – I don’t go to bars, so this is how I spend my beer money, LOL.
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Makes sense. Running is my social life as well.
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While I LOVE raceations, my bank account doesn’t, LOL. This year I’m doing way less races (I’ve only done one race weekend so far this year) because I am doing 4 racecations. I’m okay with racing less if it means I can travel more.
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Yes. I agree. My race-cations this year have been inexpensive – used FF miles for LV and Fla and shared rooms or stayed with friends.
That’s why I can’t do exotic places or races though I would love to. Too costly!!
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I do a lot of races, but I don’t have that “racer” mentality. Sure, I’m not slugging along, stopping for donuts at the water stations. Like Marcia said, I’m not concerned with every finish time or how many other runners I can beat to (every) finish line. I guess I’ve been there, done that, too 😉
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except for your recent One mile race!! LOL You killed that!
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Being injury prone myself, that is really what holds me back and keeps me at the shorter distances
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Makes sense and it’s good to follow what your body needs so that you can keep running for a long time.
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I don’t run a lot of races for all the reasons you listed. Now I don’t even sign up for them until a couple of weeks before. I never know how I’m going to feel.
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But when I do race, I feel so good that I throw all those reasons not to out the window.
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My fiance is definitely in the camp of doing less races and running more often. Racing takes up SO much time. Years ago I ran like 7 races in 5 weeks and ended up injured…ugh! It’s definitely important to balance it all!
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Yes. Balance is important. 7 races in 5 weeks? yikes. I thought I was bad.
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Yes to all that. I’m dialing back the racing big time this year for all of those reasons!
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I’ve recently cut way back on the number of races that I run. Pre-child, I tried to run as many as possible. Now, I focus on choosing quality races to run for many of the reasons that you mentioned above.
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Quality over quantity is good.
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I used to run a lot of races (12 in a year was my most) but now it’s down to 3-5 a year. It can just be too much with a young family.
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I have not run races for a while due to injury. But the last year I really raced I ran 34 races and it was not cheap!! I hope I can get back to racing soon! I do really miss it!
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I hope your injury heals soon and you can get back into racing. 34? You’re as addicted as I am.
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Thank you! It’s been an ongoing issue on and off for a few years so I hope it settles down soon too. I miss running and racing!
Haha yes! So much fun 🙂
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