I recently read that one needs to be selfish in order to be good (or the best they can possibly be) at running. I never thought much about it, but I believe this is very true. I know I’ll never qualify for the Olympic Trials or make a living at running – and I am content with this - but I do want to push the envelope and, as the Army would say, “be all that I can be” before I get too long in tooth and begin to run slower. Slowness will inevitably come, though only God knows when that will be. If there is a time to run more, a time to train harder and, in turn, to run fast – that time is now. I am 29 years old and I can’t keep running like this for too many more years. I suppose I could, but “life things”, work things and burn-out are all expected at some point.
My social life is exponentially shaped more and more around my running schedule. This is very lame, yet very necessary…especially if you want to improve. I am constantly ducking out of happy hours and social events in order to get the miles in. For most of those reading, this is nothing new and I am preaching to the choir. But where does one draw the line?
The Philadelphia Distance Run (PDR) is on Sunday, September 20th in…well, in Philly. My cousin is getting married on Cape Cod on Saturday, September 19th. I’ve been close to my cousin, two years my junior, since I was very young. Normally this would be a no brainer, but I've been eyeing PDR as a fall race since this past winter. This could be my finest hour – a fast course, a distance I am well suited for and a summer of miles tacked onto the end of a successful spring. PDR seems to fit like a glove. I especially want to seek vengeance in Philadelphia after what happened LAST YEAR. Some might say that there are “other races”, but those who know PDR will tell you that this is THE half marathon to run if you’re looking for a good time amongst fast competition. Of course then there is family.
What do I do? I am torn, but I do know what I want. I am selfish.
2 comments:
Scheduling and prioritizing is the hardest part of any season. I think that you've already got your mind made up, so now you just have to commit to it. On the one hand it's a wedding that, let's be honest, your absence will barely be noted. There's so much going on, brides and grooms are busy, you wouldn't miss much other than the opportunity to hang out with family at something that is generally a happy occasion.
If you really wanted to, you could do other races. There's VA Beach, which is just as fast as PDR and just 2 weeks earlier. That kind of time isn't enough to make huge differences in race times.
I would do the PDR and bribe them with something nice from the gift registry.
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