Races: So many stories out there!

Posted In: ChiRunning | Goals | Running September 19th, 2011 divider 2 Comments »

As I went for a run on Sunday morning with the lovely and talented Tania Frechette, we ran into and along the Army Run course. It was nice to see so many people out there challenging themselves and enjoying the outdoors.

We got to see a few different groups of runners, from the front runners, to the middle-of-the-packers to run-walkers. They were all in the same race but they all came from different backgrounds and come into the race with different goals.

Just looking back at some of my races, every gun start represented something different. I still remember my first 5k where I thought I was going fast (I wasn’t) but the real goal was not to die. There was also my first half marathon that I ran with my brother. I wasn’t sure I could do it and 21.1k never felt so long. But I did it and it wasn’t that bad.

There are some truly great stories out there like the amputee who ran his first half at a recent rendition of the Army Run. Or the person who lost his friend to cancer and ran to raise funds for a cure. What about the ageless wonder running his 20th straight edition of the Ottawa Race Weekend. Or something as simple as a new mother who wanted to drop her baby weight and picked a race as a motivation. It’s all motivation to me!

Yes, ChiRunning has really changed the way I run, and the way I look at races. Let’s just say the experience is a bit more positive these days and my body is a tad happier. But every race still holds something different, even if I’ve done that distance before a few times.

Wanna share a story about one of your races?

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Something else to think about when you’re racing. Some wise guy did a quick top 5 tips to help the earth when you’re racing (and everyday really).