If you haven’t yet signed up for a race, here are the reasons to consider crossing that starting line.
Adapted from Bart Yasso’s and Erin Strout’s new book, Runner’s World Race Everything: How to Conquer Any Race at Any Distance in Any Environment and Have Fun Doing It
The people on the sidelines shaking their heads, grumbling about the street closures, may never understand why so many of us rise with the roosters, put on our runners, and head to starting lines around the world every weekend. The easier choice is to sleep in, linger over the Sunday morning coffee and read the newspaper.
Not all people who run choose to race, of course. But I’ve found that putting events on the calendar can lead to all sorts of good results – not only the kind that are measured by times and PBs, but those less-tangible, quality-of-life ways, too.
Here are my top reasons runners should consider racing.
Accountability
Running every day is an accomplishment. Running just a few times a week is an achievement, too. But registering for a race and forking over some hard-earned dollars gives your running increased importance and priority. Now you’re accountable because you have to be prepared to run to the best of your ability on a specified date. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to run your fastest, but it does mean you have committed to train as well as you can to cover the distance. Sometimes you just need to give yourself a deadline and a race will inevitably jumpstart your routine.
Fitness Tests
Often, races are just measuring sticks – opportunities to gauge where our fitness is and where it needs to improve. It’s easier to give yourself an honest check when you’ve pinned a race bib to your shirt and lined up with other people. You’re not there to compare yourself with everybody else, but the presence of those around you can bring more out of you than just another time trial by yourself. This isn’t a pass/fail test – it’s just a way to find out what you need to work on next.
A Change of Scenery
Every runner gets stuck in a rut once in a while, when training feels forced and the drudgery of the routine starts to wear us down. To me that is the perfect time to scan the Internet for events that offer some sort of new challenge or are in a place you’ve wanted to visit, but never had reason to go. You can find races in every corner of the world if you look hard enough. Finding one that stokes new inspiration or excitement can get you back on track.