I know not everyone is on Strava.  Not sure I should be myself.  But it is pretty cool and is one more way to keep me motivated.  A little something from their blog that helped get me through the week.

I love to race.  I think.  Maybe I just tell myself that when lacing up my flats in preparation for a hard effort.  It could be that “loving” racing is a justification of the weekly hours I spend running.  There HAS to be a reason why I do this week in and week out, doesn’t there?

There is no reason to dislike racing.  It is (should be?) the epitome of training.  I know not everyone on the start line of any given race is there to race.  But odds are really good they have had a goal.  Some carrot out there that they have been chasing.  An idea that gets them out of bed, or through that third workout of the week.  A time to achieve, a distance to complete, a place to be earned, a person to honor.  These are enough, with a little bit of luck, to get to a peak race.  When that race finally arrives and the running karma goes your way and you just nail that sucker. . . There are few emotions harder to describe than that.  But how many races do you run where you question it?  Question the effort and the time and the sweat and the frustration.

We can all justify a performance with the common remarks we all hear or make pre-gun.  Been fightin’ a little injury. Work has been busy.  Kids been keeping me going.  Training through.  Do you really believe that though?  Aren’t you really trying to race hard?  You don’t get many chances in a given year if you are like most people.  Despite all the excuses, deep down inside I want to race well.  I want to beat the previous year’s time.  I want to place well.  You know what?  It frustrates the heck out of me when I don’t.

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Thanks to all who came out this year to support Lincoln Food Bank and LNS Cross Country. Raised almost $300 for Food Bank.

Results below

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JUNE 29th, 2016

LINCOLN NORTH STAR HIGH SCHOOL

$2 per event

Runners of all ages and abilities (seriously, the more people there are the better) are welcome. Get ready for an upcoming race, get in a workout, meet some folks, whatever.  Volunteers are always welcome to help time and cheer.

6:00- 400m and Long Jump

6:10-100m 

6:20- 800m

6:30- Predict a 1600m

6:45- 200m

7:00- Mile (true mile, no 1600m)

7:15- 3000m

There are certain elements of running that I try to get the high school kids (or really any runner) I work with to understand.  They had the biggest meet of their season this past weekend.  It is really hard to not get caught up in the medals and points and pursuits of team titles.  In the larger running world it is overall place, or even age grouping. That is how we measure ourselves.  It is what people ask about when they know you did a race.  These results are objective, a comparison to other athletes on the same day.  There is nothing wrong with this at all.  For many, competition is the point.  Put yourself to the test.  Feel the pressure of the lead up.  The nervous ache in your gut.  The moments of wondering, “how is it going to go?”  It is a feeling that you cannot relate to others.  You can only relate if you have been there yourself.

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