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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Racing Thoughts

This morning, when I started my 3 miler, there was a middle aged man who was running about two tenths of a mile ahead of me, and I judged him to be slightly slower than me, so I made it my goal to pass him. This was a little harder than I had orignally assessed. Either he was faster than he looked, or I was slower than I assumed, because I spent the first half a mile chasing him down.

Then, when I finally did pass him, he was close enough behind me that I couldn't slow up, so he actually provided me with the necessary motivation and momentum to finish my first mile in 10:20. The speed (yes, it's all relative, and right now that kind of pace counts as speedy for me) carried through in the remaining two miles, and I finished the 3 in 31:14, which I do believe is the fastest 3 miler I've had since returning to running.

And this is why I miss racing: Having other people in my sights to slowly pick off and pass provides just the right amount of motivation to push myself past my comfort zone. Granted, my targets are often the elderly and small children, but still, the satisfaction of passing a ten year old is priceless for the ego. And those old people can be surprisingly fast, so sometimes overcoming them can be a feat in and of itself.

19 comments:

Marci said...

This is why I race so much, I hate
lone tempo runs, good job on your 3 miler!

Unknown said...

i was just thinking about that today. without a goal, i'm not motivated to try very hard. racing gives me goals

Crissy Rae said...

I agree-those seniors can be fast as hell! Never underestimate a 70 yr old with a six-pack.

JojaJogger said...

Excellent job on the run. Sounds like we may be reading a race report in the near future!

teacherwoman said...

Way to go Jess! Wahoo!

Anna said...

Don't let those children fool you either! I'm admittedly slow, but I ran a 5K last weekend where I swear those kids were crazy fast!

Carly said...

WTG! I am the same way only I try to pass those walkers and those using walkers.

N.D. said...

yea for the speed! and motivation w/ the older dude. You'll be back racing soon - my targets are the same!

Georgia Snail said...

I think they're putting 'roids in the kids lunch milk these days...




**my word verification is "imedal"
perfect for a "race" post

MCM Mama said...

LOL at chasing down children and old people. but hey, whatever it takes.

Good job on the run!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Funny post! And what is it will kids running? I just ran a 5k this morning and they were every where. And did really well by the way.

jessica said...

it's great that you used the 'old' man as a motivator. there is this guy - 80 years old - 452 marathons under his belt and he is at most of the runs that I go to - for me, as long as I finish in front of him I am happy =). But really I look for him every time because I am happy to see he is so happy still running!
It really is amazing all of the different types of people that running brings together.
How about looking for a run that lets you push a jogging stroller? Or even a diaper dash that gets both you and Norah out there =). Keep on running and sign up for something!!!!

Christie said...

Maybe he started to run faster because he didn't wanna be chicked. But in the end, he got chicked anyway. And yes, some older folks can be rather speedy. You can tell they've been running for years and their legs often look younger than their face.

Krissy said...

So true, that is exactly how I get when I race, I just look ahead pick out a few people and make it my goal to pass them, then I just keep trucking! Today's race went really well for me, considering the terrible CT weather, freezeing cold & raining I did my 5K in 28 minutes flat, I was pleasently surprised with that time.

runner26 said...

i can tell you first-hand about the speed of a ten year old.. my discoveries have landed me in PT on more than one occasion..

Running 365 said...

You can never tell a person's speed by what they look like. My mom gets so angry when we get passed by older overweight men, lol. There was one guy running the marathon that wasn't just a little pudgy, but actually had a beer gut...and we didn't pass him until mile 10.

Marlene said...

I agree, having people around definitely makes it easier to push the pace. Great job on the speedy run!

Unknown said...

A pass is a pass, doesn't matter how old they are:)

sRod said...

OH man. This takes me back tot he 5K we did in Weston. I passed a little girl (about 8) who was crying and begging her dad to stop running. She received no pity from me.