Ryan Ploeckelman co-hosts Ryan and Gretchen in the Morning on Q108
I usually sign up for races well in advance because I am cheap and the sooner you sign up, the cheaper the entry fee, giving me plenty of time to train. I decided to do something a little different last week when I was on vacation. I signed up for The Maritime Marathon in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a race near where I was going to be. I went into the race with a different mindset then I have ever had in a race before.
I had absolutely no goals as far as time or pace with this race. I usually wear my GPS watch and try to keep every mile at goal pace and have a certain finishing time in mind if all goes well. This time out my goal was to have fun and to see what kind of shape I am in. I didn’t even wear my GPS watch, I ran with one that just has a timer. A couple of runners that I chatted with briefly asked me what my goal time was for the race, and most were shocked when I replied that I just wanted to have fun.
Last year, about a month before my 100 miler, I ran the Illinois marathon with a goal of 4 hours and actually ran it in 3 hours and 48 minutes. I felt really good about the shape I was in to tackle my 100 miler after that performance. Now my next 100 miler is not until early November, so I still have plenty of time to address any issues that may come up before race day. The goal for this marathon then, was to see what I have to work on before the “big show”. I ran the race hard, but still comfortably and was shocked at the results: three hours and twenty three mintutes. A personal best for me in the marathon distance by over ten minutes and a twenty three minute improvement over last year’s Illinois Marathon.
I tell you this because this race taught me a few things. Sometimes it is good to just go for it and do something outside of the plan on the fly. We runners can get a race in our heads and plan and train for that race and obsess over it. Every detail becomes a worry and the enjoyment is sucked right out of the race. The stress over the goal puts the goal in jeopardy. I’ll never forget my first marathon I wanted so desperately to finish in four hours that I didn’t enjoy the race at all, I just obsessed over my time, constantly looking at my watch and when I fell apart, and man did I fall apart, it ruined the day for me because I felt like a failure.
The race also showed me that I am in better shape than I thought. Sometimes when we train day in and day out it’s hard to see how far we’ve come. A race like this was like seeing your nephews for the first time in years and being shocked at how tall they’ve gotten.
So be spontaneous in your running, sign up for a race on the fly and just go out and enjoy it. Like my buddy Clint always says “This is running for Pete’s sake, it’s supposed to be fun!”