On sucky running and races

Tomorrow I'm running a race, the EAS 10 Miler. I hadn't exactly been thrilled about doing this race. You've heard of a runner's high? For the last few weeks I've been on a runner's low. Between food allergy issues and my asthma acting up, running well has been something of a struggle. It's shown me one of the few disadvantages to running in a group, especially one as competitive as mine: it's all the more apparent when your running sucks. You can ignore your watch, but you can't ignore getting dropped.

I haven't done a race in a ridiculously long time. It's been more of a confidence thing than anything else, although when asked why not I've thrown out some vague, BS excuse; I haven't wanted to be honest and just say "I'm chicken shit." But I've been chicken shit. I've been afraid to do a race and not run it well, since I hadn't been able to train with any kind of consistency. And just as you can't ignore sucky running when you're with your training group, you can't ignore it in a race. Not only that, but your suckiness is available for the world to witness for all of eternity, or at least for as long as results are archived online. I didn't need another reminder that I wasn't doing what I wanted to be doing. It was depressing.

But it's time to let that go and get back into the racing groove. The effects of whatever I ingested are fading, my chest hasn't felt like it's encircled by a steel band, and picking up my race packet on Friday I remembered how much fun races can be. Bring it on.