Those of you who know me can attest that I have only one race motto:
Just don’t suck.
It’s more deep and profound than it sounds and it bears an incredibly important meaning to me. Behind it is a call to not wimp out, to take chances, and to accomplish my goals. I’m officially adding a second one:
Relax and have a great time.
At Bronx 10 mile race I had every excuse in the book to suck but I didn’t. Why? I’ll get to that later. First let me give you all the reasons why I could’ve sucked royally:
- I was still rehabbing a slightly strained calf
- I had to cut back on running to give the aforementioned calf a chance to heal
- I came down with a mild cold the day before leaving me tired
- I didn’t get any sleep the night before the race
- Headphones wouldn’t turn on as the race started causing me to fiddle with them as I was running my first mile
- Warmer than ideal weather with 86% humidity
- I haven’t raced in months
Any one of these factors could’ve been a perfect excuse to have a subpar performance. Why then did I not suck? Instead I had a fantastic race and a new personal record. Among some of the reasons is the most significant one of them all. I stayed within myself and relied on how I felt versus how fast my watch was telling me I was. Feeling good and relaxed from the start led to faster miles in the second half. Taking a page out of Ryan Hall’s book to “run the mile you’re in”, I focused on relaxing into my pace instead of anxiously waiting for the next mile marker. End result, I enjoyed the race and every mile was a gift. I was high as a kite when the splits were showing me I was running within my target pace while also within my comfort zone. Could I have pushed harder? Sure, but why do it? That is the question I pose to you. Once you’ve determined what goal is acceptable to you, would pushing past that goal be worth sacrificing your comfortable pace and moving into a potentially red zone? Sometimes those kinds of risks should be taken but all risks need to be calculated and carefully thought through. From the get go I told myself I wanted to run a strong race and if possible get a small PR. Once my brain processed that I was on my way to that PR it was telling me to hold it as opposed to pushing even harder. The goal was accomplished and I felt fantastic afterwards. I didn’t overheat or overexert myself to accomplish it. It’s a lesson I myself am learning and hoping to deeply internalize. If the goal is X and you’re meeting it while feeling good, why then why would you abandon it and go after goal Y at the risk of crash and burning? I’m sure there are races that worked out with the full abandon approach and I can relate to that myself but the thing is, I want it all. I want to accomplish my goal and love the process. People talk about running and suffering as if the two always have to go together. Nonsense! I’ve discovered a better way. I want to love it and I enjoy it or else why do it? If you’re onboard with this, you’ll need a few things:
- Stay within yourself, don’t look at anyone else
- Don’t push your pace, let your legs tell you when they are ready to go
- Focus on breathing evenly and relaxing
- Smile! It instantly puts you in a better mood
- Don’t look anxiously ahead, feel your current mile and savor the moment
- Once at your optimal pace, learn the feel of “hold your effort”
Now let’s go and have a great time while racing your best!
