I've got a need, a need for speed.
In the year or so that I've been running, I've noticed something that seems to be pretty common. We love to judge ourselves by our speed. We love to knock ourselves down because of our pace, because of our perceived lack of speed. I'll be the first to admit that I've been guilty of this in the past. However, as I've run more I've outgrown it, replacing my desire for a fast pace with my desire for just getting out there and pushing myself a little bit further every time. My running motto at this point is "The race is long, but in the end it's only against yourself."
I read a couple of C25k sites, and it seems like there's a post from someone lamenting their pace daily. There's always someone there who is writing "I did [insert C25k milestone] today! I just wish that I didn't have a 14:30 pace :(" Or "I ran a 12 minute mile, and yeah, I know that's super slow." You know what this sounds like? To me, it sounds exactly like one of those chicks who say shit like, "Oh, I gained a pound, I'm so fat now," and say it because they know that someone will jump in and tell them how skinny they are or how good they look, because they lack the self esteem to just look in the mirror and tell themselves, "Fuck yeah, I'm a sexy bitch today!"
Example: my kid sister weighs about 100lbs, dripping wet, and there's been plenty of times when she's said something like "I'm huge today." Really? If she's huge, then I shudder to think about how ginormous that makes me; I must be so big that I've got my own gravitation pull and can control the frigging tides. The same goes for runner's whining about their pace. If someone is out there complaining about how horrifyingly slow their 12 minute mile is, then I'm a fucking SLOTH. In fact, I must be moving so slowly that I may as well be moving in reverse.
I mean, seriously. I don't see any one of these newbie runners going out there and running with the intent to get a finishers' medal at some point. In fact, every single one of these people will state that they're running for themselves, with the only goal being to just finish the program or whatever race they may have entered. If that's the case, then why are we even focusing on the pace at all?
Can't we just be happy that we're doing something for ourselves, and not constantly drag ourselves down by comparing ourselves to an ideal that's not within our grasp at this point in time? I've been running for just a smidgen over a year now, and I know that my 14 minute mile will never win me a race. I don't expect it to, and you know what? I don't give a shit about that. What do I give a shit about? I give a shit that I'm out there.
I'm doing something.
And?
Fuck yeah, I'm a sexy bitch today.
I read a couple of C25k sites, and it seems like there's a post from someone lamenting their pace daily. There's always someone there who is writing "I did [insert C25k milestone] today! I just wish that I didn't have a 14:30 pace :(" Or "I ran a 12 minute mile, and yeah, I know that's super slow." You know what this sounds like? To me, it sounds exactly like one of those chicks who say shit like, "Oh, I gained a pound, I'm so fat now," and say it because they know that someone will jump in and tell them how skinny they are or how good they look, because they lack the self esteem to just look in the mirror and tell themselves, "Fuck yeah, I'm a sexy bitch today!"
Example: my kid sister weighs about 100lbs, dripping wet, and there's been plenty of times when she's said something like "I'm huge today." Really? If she's huge, then I shudder to think about how ginormous that makes me; I must be so big that I've got my own gravitation pull and can control the frigging tides. The same goes for runner's whining about their pace. If someone is out there complaining about how horrifyingly slow their 12 minute mile is, then I'm a fucking SLOTH. In fact, I must be moving so slowly that I may as well be moving in reverse.
I mean, seriously. I don't see any one of these newbie runners going out there and running with the intent to get a finishers' medal at some point. In fact, every single one of these people will state that they're running for themselves, with the only goal being to just finish the program or whatever race they may have entered. If that's the case, then why are we even focusing on the pace at all?
Can't we just be happy that we're doing something for ourselves, and not constantly drag ourselves down by comparing ourselves to an ideal that's not within our grasp at this point in time? I've been running for just a smidgen over a year now, and I know that my 14 minute mile will never win me a race. I don't expect it to, and you know what? I don't give a shit about that. What do I give a shit about? I give a shit that I'm out there.
I'm doing something.
And?
Fuck yeah, I'm a sexy bitch today.