Condescending Wonka: "Oh, you've run ten marathons this year? You must be the bravest person ever."

Scene:
I'm at a party. Across the room I see a hot girl. Tall, lean, obviously fit runner legs.
Me: "Hi, what's your sign?"
Hot runner girl: "OMG, you're so handsome and funny! What do you do to stay so fit and hot looking?"
Me: "I know right? Well, you know, I like to run."


This is where it gets interesting.


Hot runner girl: "OMG! I love to run! I've run 10 marathons this year!" Or "I'm running another 5K this weekend."
                     
Me: "Cool! What's your best time!" Or "What's you're goal time!"

Hot runner girl: "Oh I don't keep track of times, I just try to finish!"

Me: "................................................................"

Hot runner girl: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Me: "Oh, I forgot, I have somewhere I need to be."

________________________________________________________________________________

Racing is a measurement. It is a metric of progress, whether based on time or against an opponent.

So what is the point of racing if not to actually measure yourself?

I think one reason (which drives me crazy) is the recognition of our peers, whose standards for physical activity are pitifully low.

How many people race just to say they did? They crow about "doing" this race or that, but what did they really do? Most of the time, they have served only to mire themselves in mediocrity.

I believe that sport is a metaphor for life. Sport originally started as a way for soldiers to test themselves against each other in preparation for battle. In the age of the modern Olympics, sport has become even more like life, with success only coming with lots of hard work. Training, you see, is like life. Training is often fun, often hard, and occasionally neigh on impossible. Just like life.

So what happens when you participate in life, but never measure yourself? You stagnate. You coast along in mediocrity. But what about when you measure yourself against how good you were, to see if you get better? That's what successful people do, they strive to IMPROVE, not just to "get the job done."

Sport is the same. If you participate, and finish, you are settling for "good enough." I totally understand just working out for fun. I LOVE to run. So why do so many people race without racing? Why do people pay massive entry fees to measure themselves against a clock and sometimes thousands of other racers, only to ignore the measurement itself?

Personally, I don't understand it. I race for pain. I race to see how much better I am than I was before. I race to see how much better my training has been than it was before. To see how much harder I've worked than my competitors. I race because I rarely feel more alive than when I'm on my absolute limit.  But to just finish? I just don't get it. If you want to run an easy 13.1 miles, get some friends, find a road/trail/treadmill (an excellent alternative to a treadmill is harikiri), and RUN because you love it! Save yourself the ridiculous amount of money that races charge these days, and just go have fun!

The way I see it, you have two options:

1. Run/ski/bike because it relaxes you/you enjoy it/you want to be healthy.

2. Run/ski/bike because you think it noble to pursue excellence. To be better tomorrow than you were today.

But sweet jesus be honest with yourself and pick one. Don't be that person who needs "racing" to satisfy some craving for attention, but who can't bare the thought of not achieving a goal.

Either learn to love exercise for exercise, or grow a pair of your relevant sex organs and RACE.