I love the fitness/running/blogging community, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I am older than many of my friends in the blogosphere, and I have to stop myself from getting jealous of their “disappointing” 7-minute miles and constant stream of personal records (PRs) in every race they do.
As I was preparing for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (which was not a PR, but was a great race all the same), I explained to my son that sooner or later (maybe this year), I was going to have to stop chasing PRs and focus on beating the line of decline. I read about this fateful line in an article in the June 2012 issue of Runner’s World, in a piece about how Peter Sagal beat the line and set a marathon PR in his mid-40s! (He was 46, so maybe I can’t give up on PRs for one more year.)
Professor Ray Fair of Yale University has done complicated statistical analyses on mountains of elite athlete performance data to arrive at this simple, inarguable conclusion: After the age of 35, everyone will see his or her best time decrease by almost one percent per year–for me, that meant one to two minutes. When I called Professor Fair to ask him if “everyone” included “me,” he asked for my best marathon times over the past few years, and then pointed out (with some pride) that my results–declining from a 3:20 in 2006 to a 3:27 in 2011–tracked his line of decline almost precisely.
Now, I know runners my age who continue to set PRs, but that is not my priority. I run for fun, for my sanity, and for stress relief, but I have to admit that I am just not willing to put in the effort it would take to keep setting PRs.
So, what does that mean for my race goals? Even when I know I am not going to set a PR, I take my training seriously and I push myself during the race–but should I?
When I begged off a work project this weekend, I told my colleague (who also was running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler) that I sometimes don’t feel well after a race. “That’s because you run too fast,” he said. To some extent, I know he’s right. I don’t ever feel sick after my training runs, because I don’t push myself that hard. But does that mean I shouldn’t try my hardest during a race? With my type A personality, that might be harder than talking myself through 1.5 miles of headwind on Haine’s Point!
I am thinking about all of this as I get ready to run the GW Parkway Classic–my all time favorite race on a relatively hilly course. My finish time last year was close to this year’s finish time for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, which has a flat, fast course. So, once again, I am facing doing “worse” than last year. Can I shift my goal away from running as fast as I can? Can I really focus on enjoying the day? Would I be happy with a race where I didn’t give it my all?
As I ponder all of this, I am thinking about three great posts I read last week:
Kierston wrote about choosing to be positive about doing the work it takes to reach your goals.
Carrie wrote about sticking it out when the first mile sucks.
Lea shared her tips for tricking yourself into getting through a tough run.
Do you try to set a PR with every race?
How do you set goals when you know you can’t do better than you did before?
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The headwinds at Hains Point were crazy! I started running almost 2 years ago as a way to keep my weight in check and to challenge myself. I did a few 5ks, moved up to 10ks, and finally decided to make the leap to distance races this year. I know I'm not fast. My 5k average is 9:30, and my average for the CUCB was 10:59 (used it as a training run for Nike Half). I am Type A as well, and I try to push myself to the best of my ability. That means, yes, I still try to PR at each race. I will be 50 in a few weeks and I believe I have only improved with each race. I know at some point that will slow (or stop!) but for now I enjoy the wind through my hair, the chance to pray during long runs, and the thrill of the challenge. I hope to stay injury- free and run well into "old age". Your times inspire me! You rock!
Thanks! It sounds like you have a good balance with your goals. I hope you enjoy the Nike Half!!
When it comes to me and running…there is no time, no pace, no nothing. The reason for this is because I felt the moment I started tracking all of the numbers that I lost interest in running and that it began to stress me out more than anything. After realizing that, I stopped tracking and started enjoying. I just wanted to run 🙂 For my next race, I may set a goal time but it's just for sake of putting one out there. (i won't be wearing a watch or anything). If I reach great, if not, as long as I had FUN is what matters to me most!
Thanks for linking up to my post 🙂
Oh, I feel naked running without my Garmin! I know it\’s not the best way, but I do like the numbers to validate my effort. I know sometimes they rob me of a great run, when I felt good but my time was slower. Hmm.
I think this is why I haven't been looking for races to do. And, why I also think the non-competitive color runs, mud runs and the like have become so popular. It's really difficult to continue to run faster. I have an even harder time because I'm not fast to begin with and while I know I could get faster, I know how much work it will take to do so and I'm not that interested in going there. I really do just want to stay healthy, uninjured and try to enjoy every step as long as possible. But, really interesting post – – gets me thinking.
Oh, I hadn\’t thought of the fun runs in that light, but I bet that is another reason that they are popular.
I don't race much because of injury – usually due to the fact that I want every race or run to be better than the last. As I've gotten older I've had to learn that a PR isn't the most important thing – it's the actual running!
Such good perspective. I've never been a very fast runner, I am giving it all I have to pull out 9 minute miles and with my injury I am a bit slower right now. It is hard not to compare yourself to others and to always want to PR. I am working on realizing I have to run the race that is best for me at the time and that it cannot always be a PR.
So true. It is just hard to set a goal in advance that\’s not a PR. I am working on it for my next race though!
This sounds like a conversation that I would be having with myself too. I run for many of the same reasons as you. I'm not a fast runner – never have been and never will be – but yes, when it comes to a race I do push myself in training and on race day. I get super competitive with myself but you're right – the notion of a "best" race isn't necessarily all about the PR.
thanks for the shout out! you totally are rocking it!
For me, it depends on the race. Some races I go to for fun. I don't care about my time per se or I just want to do better than the last time I ran it, even if that isn't an overall PR. Some races I do set aside as I want to try for a PR. I had a nice streak of 7 PRs in a row for a bit. I'll be honest, that was pretty awesome. It's been a while since I set one though. I have a goal for a race on 5/18 and I want to PR my next half (6/1). With my other races, I am just looking to run faster than last time, though that won't necessarily be a PR.
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