Why don't I see you in all the races, Marie?" asked my friend Miriam. She had noticed that I don't sign up for all the Sunday foot races joined by thousands pf runners. That got me thinking. What do I do when all other races are getting up before sunrise? I'me getting up too, gearing up to run long either on the trails or on the roads less traveled. In one of the Runner's World running clinics earlier this year, Coach Jay Sales taught participants to "treat races like you would a party." You don't go to ALL the parties you're invited to, do you? Otherwise you'll tire yourself out. So I choose my parties--er races--wisely.
That's not to say that I don't enjoy the thrill of joining a competition. I enjoy being among ansty runners waiting for the gun start, expecting to get their personal best. I enjoy feeling the combined adrenalin of thousands of excited runners pumped up to join their first or 21st marathon, half mary, 10-, or 5-k. I find amusement in picking a target ahead of me, staying with them for as long as I can, then catching up, or maybe even outrunning them. Then there are days when i want to tune everything out and just be by myself. Like last Sunday when I opted to to run solo, sans the noise and excitement of a major race or the chatter of my regular running buddies. I decided to break free from mu usual running route and explore some place new, so I ran to house of one of my sisters in Quezon City. Not wanting to wake her up too early, I ran around her neighborhood until it was a decent time to visit. At 8 am I wa at her door but she and her husband were still asleep. her three daughter were awake though, and they were surprised to see their sweat Tita donning a bulky pair of running | shoes, dressed in shorts, a tank top, a cap and armed with a small pack-- not the Sunday best that they normally see in me. I played with them for a bit then refilled my water bladder and kissed them goodbye. As I ran through the neighborhood, I asked myself "what's for breakfast?" as I passed by houses that had delicious aromas emanating from their kitchens: daing na bangus, tapa, pandesal. Had i joined the race that morning I wouldn't be able to play this guessing game. Nor would I have been able to see two adorable little kittens frolicking in the sun on the side of the road. Or the precious smiles of five children happily balancing in a karitela as their proud father pushed the wooden cart. I wouldn't have been able to pick up several rolls of cardboard that had fallen of a truck for a craft project I'm working on. Racing or not, after a run, we all come home tired and pleased with ourselves. That we achieve our personal goal for that day. That we covered the distance. That we put in the effort. That we showed up and did our end of the deal. To me, that's what running is all about. published on: RUNNER'S WORLD OCT.2011 |