Dust Your Skeletons
Mr. Brizz brought this little website to my attention: www.athlinks.com You can punch in your name and many of the races you have completed EVER pop up in neat little letters followed by tidy numbers. I stuck my name in there, clicked the button, and presto! My digits stared back at me in undeniable accuracy. Is that really how those races went? I remember being so much better. I have to wonder if this running window to the past is actually a good thing. Maybe.
I scanned my races. Nothing very impressive at all and here is why I dislike this little bubble bursting genie. I remember them being great! In New Canaan, Connecticut, I won a four mile race on the fourth of July. My son was 8 months old, the air was creamed humid soup, and I ran my little heart out. I turned the last corner of the race breathing like a banshee. A sidelined gentleman actually told me, “Chill, no one is behind you.” I thought, the clock is! It is behind me, in front of me, that tick tock is everywhere! I doubled over on my knees at the line and heaved in the damp, sopping air. I toted my kid around on my hip like a gun in a holster. That’s right, I just won and I got this baby! I was so proud of myself.
And what a baby he is!
I finished that race in 26:02. That is a 6:30 mile pace. Now when I look back at it staring there at me, I think, Gosh, that was not really very good at all. I can run and run and run (and hopefully run a little more) at a 6:30 pace now. Then the light came on! Running for the numbers is not running. Yes, I want to get better. Yes, I want to see improvement measured by solid hard core data points like PR’s. Yes, I want that tangible proof that I can tattoo to my forehead that forever screams at people in sneakers: 17:20 5K. But, I also want to enjoy the going while the going is good.
Fortunately, I am. For now, I am going to keep thinking that I can go faster. That gets me out there pushing the envelope driving me forward, but one day, hopefully not too soon, I am going to say, “There, did it. Fast as I could ever go. Yeah me.” When that happens, I’ll stop breathing like that!
But until then: huff-puff-huff. I am glad to know that I can totally kick my own once younger ass right now.
Huff-Puff New Canaan!
Ah, I would love to say that a 6:30 pace isn’t very good. I guess it’s all relative.
Carinne said this on November 12, 2009 at 10:24 pm |
Oh, yes, it is. When I lived in Boulder, runners used to fly by me in packs of 10s at paces that I cannot even imagine. I always feel the “fastest” when I am running by myself. Nothing to compare my movement to but rocks and dirt and trees and you know they don’t go very fast
drea said this on November 12, 2009 at 11:40 pm |
> “There, did it. Fast as I could ever go. Yeah me.”
> When that happens, I’ll stop breathing like that!
You think?
I doubt it.
I can see age stealing my speed. I doubt I’ll break 6min/mile on a 10k again. Or 6:20 on a half marathon. And yet… I still push. I still breath hard.
And look at John B. We can’t even hope to match his glory days, yet he still competes.
There’s always another goal. If you can’t break 17 on a 5K, maybe you can hit 85% instead…
georgeruns said this on November 17, 2009 at 3:47 am |
Oh you and your logic! Ha ha
My husband won’t want to hear that! Hee hee hee
drea said this on November 17, 2009 at 1:13 pm |