Is It Worth It?

I often feel like I need to run races the following year so that I can see if I can get a better time, or run a better race than the previous year. The two that come time mind, in particular, are the Country Music ½ marathon in Nasville and the 3Sport Sprint Triathlon in Richmond. My goal for Nashville was to complete the 13.1 miles in 2 hours or less. I finished that race just 2 minutes shy of my goal. For the Richmond race, I just wanted to complete the triathlon successfully. Looking back on these two races has given me some insight for personal growth in 2007.

Take the ½-marathon for instance. Right now I am currently training for a marathon in March. So my training runs will include distances far much greater than the distance of 13.1 that I ran in Nashville. I know that over the past year I have become stronger and that I should be able to complete the 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours without a doubt. Yesterday I had to run for 2 hours and 15 minutes at an “aerobic” pace (anywhere from 9 to 10 min miles). At 2:02 (official Nashville time) I had already completed 13.5 miles. Knowing this information, would it benefit me to run the race in 2007 to aim for a better time? I don’t think so. With that said, I can’t wait to run it with my Dad and take a bunch of pictures of all the sights that I missed the first time around! :-)

As for the Richmond race, one defining moment still lingers in my head. After crossing the finish line I realized that all of my energy resources had been used and that I couldn’t go another step. This feeling of pure exhaustion is only beneficial if you believe that your race was done as efficiently as possible. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. But with the experience of completing another triathlon and honing my skills, I know that doing this race again will provide excellent feedback with my triathlon growth. This race is definitely on my schedule for next year, and look out ladies, this chick is coming with a vengeance.