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Why race?

This is an excerpt from Running Past 50 by Caolan MacMahon.

Racing can be a motivating and fun way to challenge yourself, meet new people, spend time with running friends, and see new places. Racing challenges you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, whether that concerns time or distance or the race itself. Every race teaches you something about yourself. Sometimes the lessons are hard. Sometimes what you learn is uplifting. Sometimes you discover you’re stronger and tougher than you think. Sometimes you discover things you can work on. Sometimes racing can be fun, and sometimes it can hurt.

Perhaps you are feeling a bit reluctant, or nervous, to sign up for a race. Here are some reasons I often hear:

I’m not a competitive person.

Maybe you don’t see yourself as competitive but believe that it’s a necessary part of racing. I’ve heard this claim from a lot of runners 50 and over, and I usually accept it at face value but also believe there might be something going on beneath the surface. Sometimes you feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there for all to see. Sometimes you worry about judgment from others and even yourself. And sometimes you believe that being competitive is a negative attribute. I find that women in particular offer this as a reason for not racing. For many women, being competitive is seen as aggressive and can stir up gender stereotypes. But is there really anything aggressive about challenging yourself?

I don’t see myself as an athlete.

I hear so many runners say they aren’t real runners or athletes. Why? Perhaps you have this idea that being a real runner requires you to run a certain distance or pace—or you must have been doing it all your life or must achieve a certain number of races, and on and on. Perhaps you’ve felt, or are feeling, like an impostor. You know the saying that comparison is the thief of joy, and you understand the veracity of that claim, yet you still compare—you compare yourself to others, to your younger self, and to the ideas you have about what you should be doing or should be able to do. You allow self-doubt to creep in. You deflect anticipated judgment through self-deprecation. Social media doesn’t help because you see so many others doing incredible things you can only dream of.

But here’s the thing: If you run, you are a real runner—and you can even walk. You can run and walk. You can walk and run. You can run and get tired and stop and go home. You can try again tomorrow. The only thing that matters—the only thing that makes you a runner and an athlete—is that you keep at it. You try. Sometimes you succeed, and sometimes you don’t. But each time you try, that makes all the difference in your life. So, keep trying. That’s what makes you an athlete. Think about your strengths at work or with your family or friends and bring those to your runs. At the start of this book, I said that the unique thing about running is that it offers seemingly limitless options: goals, distances, times, etc. All these options are worthy if they spark your passion.

I’m too old, or I came to the sport too late.

Maybe you believe you’re too old to race, or if you’ve been racing since you were young, you see little point in continuing because all your best races are behind you. Maybe you’ll need to adjust some of your expectations as the years march on, but that does not mean you can’t accomplish things that will amaze yourself. There’s always a new challenge yet to be explored.

Perhaps you came to the sport late and aren’t entirely comfortable jumping into the fray, with the crowds and logistic hassles. Running is simple. Racing can add an element of fuss and bother that many aren’t comfortable with. Or maybe you’ve never seen yourself as an athlete and think that only real athletes should race. In that case, test the waters a bit with a smaller race. See how it goes. See if you like it.

I don’t know where to start.

While getting started with running seems like it should be easy and straightforward, when it comes to the shoes hitting the asphalt or the dirt, it turns out it may not be so easy. New runners often don’t know where to start, how to start, or what to do first.

A great place to start is a local fun running group. In many areas, you can find weekly running groups at local running stores. Gyms also offer couch-to-5K sessions where you sign up with a group of people all working toward a 5K goal. These are led by coaches who will guide you on how to start, stay healthy, and get stronger. Local running groups, whether free community groups or coached running groups, also present the opportunity to connect with other runners and learn how to progress in running. I know many runners near me who have been running together as a group for years, sometimes traveling to the same races, but more importantly, providing accountability, encouragement, and education. If you enjoy this type of social interaction, this is a great option for you.

But perhaps you prefer to run solo most of the time, or maybe your schedule is complicated, so trying to get to a group run is difficult. In this case, you can do some research on your own or possibly hire a coach to guide you. There is a lot of running advice out there—books, YouTube videos, online training sites, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, influencers, running groups of all varieties, discussion boards, free training plans, blogs, podcasts, etc. Some of the advice is good, and some is not so good. The challenge is sifting through it all, separating the wheat from the chaff, and deciding what will work best for you.

The self-coached, newer runner (or even an experienced runner who has high aspirations or is taking on a new challenge) who doesn’t have any experience with running must have a pretty insatiable appetite for and curiosity about the ever-changing information out there concerning training, nutrition, recovery, biomechanics, and injury rehab. That’s why you’re reading this book. But if you’re thinking about getting help from a coach, whether in a group setting or individually, understand that coaches are not just for elite runners or those with audacious goals. They’re for anyone who wants to learn, feel better, get stronger, and stay healthy.

More Excerpts From Running Past 50

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