I’d Rather be Racing

Well the holidays have come and gone. I ate and drank my body weight it seems, and it’s time to start getting back into playing shape. By playing shape, I’m talking about racing shape. I don’t do much training (or anything physically demanding, for that matter) once the holidays set in. So once the calendar flips to a new year, I look forward to breaking out of my lazy ways, and getting started on training for some races.

My lovely wife introduced me to running again. Before we met, I probably ran a total of 3 miles in over 10 years. I had played soccer in high school, but after graduating, I rarely ran or jogged. She has always been a runner, having taken part in many half-marathons, and always having the goal to run at least 100 miles each year. At first I didn’t mind that she was logging all of these miles, and having fun racing, while I sat on the sidelines. A few of my friends had also taken up running as well, and I was invited to run the Race for the Cure by a good friend of mine. For those not familiar with this race, it’s a 5k run here in downtown Richmond, benefiting breast cancer research. While the task of running 3 miles after not running for years seemed daunting, I can’t say no to a worthy cause while enjoying time with friends. I started training about two months beforehand, running about a half mile at first, then working up to a full mile. In about 3 weeks I had already worked up to 3-mile runs, and knew I’d be fine running the race. Race day came, and while I was extremely nervous, my time wasn’t too bad for a first-timer, even with having to do a little walking. All in all, I had a great time, and needless to say, I’ve been hooked on racing since.

In 2010, my wife suggested we run the hugely popular Monument Avenue 10k together. I thought to myself, that’s 6.2 miles…that’s crazy! After some persuasion, she talked me into it. I had to push my training quite a bit, what with never having run over 4 miles at a time before. The week before the race, I was able to make it to 5-mile runs, but that was it. I was extremely tired after those runs, and had serious doubts on whether or not I could run a 10k. Again the race day came, and with that came my nerves. My wife assured me I’d be fine, and I’d probably do much better than I thought. To tell you the truth, she was absolutely correct. She also dusted me at the start of the race, but that was no surprise to me. The good thing about this race is that there are TONS of supporters on the sidelines with signs of encouragement, yelling and cheering for the runners. These folks, along with the bands/musical acts that are placed along the route, really help you keep going even when you’re extremely tired. They make you forget that your feet hurt, or you’re getting shin splints, or you’re dying of thirst. All throughout the race I’d see familiar faces in the crowds, which pushed me to run a little harder. I eventually caught up with my wife, and we finished the race within seconds of each other. A feat I thought would probably never happen.

Since then, I’ve run quite a few more races. The toughest to date: a 5k Army trail run. Even though the distance was something I had no problem with, I had met my biggest foe to date: hills, and lots of them. By the end of the race I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. But, it was rewarding to finish something so tough.

For this year, I plan to run as many races as possible. I’ll of course be running the Monument Avenue 10k and the Race for the Cure, but I have my sights set on something I never thought I’d do, and that’s a half marathon. That’s 13.1 miles. The same distance as two 10ks in one day. Crazy? Maybe. But I’ve gotten to the point in my racing where I need a new challenge. The McDonald’s Half Marathon is looking like the most appealing race at this point, because it runs through Richmond, and it’s not till November. Plenty of time to train!

I’m thankful that my wife got me back into running. It clears my mind after a hectic day, and gives me the time to reflect. Speaking of my wife, she plans to run a half marathon every month this year. Now that is crazy.