At this weekend’s 5K, it dawned on me how much I miss the overall racing experience. I remember a time when I would go to two or three races a month, all my friends ran, and it was all a huge part of my social identity. Now, it’s a struggle to get to one race a month, and even that’s pushing it. I am so fortunate to have an awesome running buddy for training at home, but I do really want to push back into the race experience a bit more.
Social Hour
When I was more involved in the race scene, races were sort of an early morning happy hour. It was great to show up to a local race and immediately find people I ran with regularly, or met up with at races. I loved catching up with everyone and soaking up the excitement of the miles ahead.
Encouragement
The vibe at races is usually pretty great, and I love getting to cheer on others, and even have them cheer me on, too. It’s so nice to be part of a group who are all about encouraging others and themselves to victory. It’s such a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Celebration
While I don’t mind heading to races alone, it’s nice to be able to celebrate the wins with others. It’s definitely something to look forward to after fighting it out on the pavement, and I would like to make an effort to enjoy some of that joy again, soon!
Do you find you race more, less or the same as you used to? What are your favorite things about racing?
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
This year, I am joining up with Zenaida, of The Running Teacher for Tuesday Topics! Please join us every week for a new topic!
I race much less because I’m training for long races.
I plan to change that. I love racing.
I love the challenge. And the energy. It’s so uplifting.
I like using races for training runs. It’s a great way to handle both goals.
There is definitely something very special about a race day!
So special.
Oh man, I feel this so much! I used to have a huge group of friends that I ran races with regularly and it was so much fun! But then many moved away or got too busy with their growing families. And I’ve since ruptured my ACL so not allowed to run unless I have surgery. Boo. I really do miss races though. Maybe I’ll try some of the ones that also have a walk option.
What a time it was! I hate that about your ACL. I would totally go in for the surgery but I am sure that comes with its own set of complications.
I am racing way less. The most I’ve run is 24 races in 2013. More than half of those were half marathons. I bought a Tour Pass from RnR and signed up for many of their races.
I remember the Tour Pass! I was a Rock ‘n’ Blogger for a while so I got to go to a few of their races. They were always a good time.
I love races but they’ve gotten so expensive. I cannot justify racing every month… but I sure enjoy the experience every time.