People Who Run Races Are Totally Insane

Running is one thing. But people who race are nuts.

I mean, think about it.

–They devote hours and hours and hours to running, so that, on one particular day, they can run again.

–They do something that’s considered punishment in all other sports. (And they even pay to do it!)

–They force themselves to run faster than they want to, for longer than they want to, and when they just plain don’t want to.

–They get up early on Saturdays to participate in self-torture methods they call “long runs.”

–They poop in the woods. (Yes.)

–They claim that they do it “for fun,” and yet they complain about it all the time. (“Ughhhh speedwork today…”)

–They subject themselves to completely unnatural things like nipple chaffing and ice baths.

–When it’s all over, they are given a shiny medal circle, which they take home and bury in a drawer. A week later, they get an email full of super unflattering pictures of themselves.

The pictures are guaranteed to look NOTHING like this.

This is not the behavior of sane, rationale individuals, right?

So why do we do it??

Well. Because racing changes people. That’s what it’s really about.

Racing teaches people things about themselves. It shows them not only what they can do, but who they can be.

Have you ever wondered why the Biggest Loser caps off each season with a marathon? Wouldn’t a 10K or something be sufficient? Well, I bet not one of the participants ever thought she’d be able to run a marathon. And nothing is more empowering than the realization that, holy crap, I CAN do this. ME.

As this Runner’s World article put it: “[The Biggest Loser marathon] provides a dramatic showcase for the show’s underlying dream-big message: that anyone—even overweight Cheetos-snarfing couch potatoes—can join the elite ranks of endurance athletes, so long as they’re willing to push themselves. Push hard.”

In that same article, one of the participants admitted that the prospect of running a marathon was about as feasible as running for president.

Exactly.

And that’s the point.

Forget the running—in the beginning, battling your own inner voice of self doubt is the biggest challenge. And winning that battle is one of the biggest rewards.

Fortunately, something I’ve always loved about the running community is that it’s very diverse, and extremely welcoming to newcomers. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, how far you go, or how fast you get there. You run? You’re a Runner. You’re in the secret society.

And then, once you get that first race out of the way, the racing world becomes your oyster. (Or something.)

I have yet to meet someone who says, “Yeah, I wanted to see if I could run a half marathon. So I did, and I could, and now I’m over it.” It seems like almost everyone gets hooked, or will at least go out for the occasional 5K now and then, just to remind themselves that they can. (Oh, and because it’s fun. Did I mention racing can be fun?)

How has running/racing changed you?

I’m one of those people who never dreamed I’d someday run races, including a full marathon. I feel like I’ve finally found something I can be good at, since I never had much talent for sports. Luckily for me, you don’t have to be a natural born runner to run—you just need some motivation, a little self-confidence, and a lot of determination.

And yeah, it’s still kinda crazy. But I think this might be one legit case where the end justifies the means.