I arrived at the Dickey Ridge Trail around 8:35 AM at the Northern Entrance of Skyline Drive. As I stretched I chatted with two bikers as they assembled their bicycles to prepare for a long morning ride. One or the bikers talked about his days of running and how bad knees changed his activity to cycling.
I thought of how careful I have been about my running. In high school and college track and cross country I backed off if I felt odd pain. While in the military if I had an injury I was careful not to over do it. I felt guilt at times thinking back to college, "Only if I pushed myself a little more I could of been a better runner and could of won more races". I ran after having both of my daughters to get back in shape, because while in the military many female soldiers used the excuse of being over weight and not meeting the Army physical standards because of having a child. I could of hurt myself running as early as I did after having my daughters, but having a child doesn't make me disabled. My point is I've had regret about not pushing myself more and realizing that at times I pushed myself when I shouldn't because of the perception of others.
Now that I'm 37 years old, I'm glad that I avoided injury and that I was careful when I was younger. I'm 37 and can now teach my daughters to run. I can do any physical activity with them and feel no pain. I can pick up my 50 pound daughter and carry her up a flight of stairs. I'm determined to run this 50K Trail Run in September, but I'll be smart about it so I can run another day and hopefully another 30 years.
Over the years I've been criticized by other female runners for not having a lot of races under my belt and for not putting in as much training as they do. Many of these runners are now in their late 30s to mid 40s and they are broke. They have had several surgeries and those that are still running have slow times and run in pain. Knowing the condition of these women has made me grateful that I didn't train to an extreme and enter 3 or more races a month. I'm happy with 2 races a year and my healthy pain free body. I'm happy that when I see my past fellow runners current times that I could still beat them in a race even if I walked 1/3 of it. I've only ever competed with myself and my personal goals, not with other runners. Even today if I talk with a fellow female runner they want to compare times and for me to list the races I've ran the past few months. When I tell them my last race was 8 months ago and what my current goal is they seem to react as if I'm not a real runner. They then list their 6 races that they ran in the past 2 months. Are they real runners or are they just collecting T-shirts for bragging? I looked up one marathon runner's times after she bragged about her running but left out her finish times. She ran 2 marathons and 4 half marathons in 2 months, but most healthy people could of walked them in the same time it took her to run them.
Why do I run? I run for me and my daughters. I run because it is relaxing and I enjoy the scenery of nature. I have my personal goals that I'll reach for my personal pride. I'll brag to my husband, parents and a few friends of my personal accomplishments when it comes to running, but not to outsiders. I've never been the weak minded person to give in to peer pressure, so I'm not going to compare times and races with other runners unless you are a personal friend. Those who brag need to stop because self confident runners like myself get a good giggle out of spending 5 minutes on the computer to Google all your over the top running accomplishments to discover that you claim to be a hare, but you are really a turtle. I'm raising my girls not to brag about their accomplishes except to family and close friends. I also want them to encourage others to run and reach personal goals and not ever belittle others because they feel they are a better runner. Belittling and judging others doesn't make you a better runner. Supporting and encouraging others makes you the better runner. After you finish, staying at the finish line to pat others on the back for their personal accomplishments makes you the better runner. Not bragging about your finishes or notches in your running belt.
I do enjoy trail running because most runners are supportive no matter what races or times you have under your belt. They seem to accept you as you are and welcome you kindly. I'm currently teaching my oldest daughter Emelie to trail run, because it will be a better experience for her. We hope to run a trail run (4 miles Muddy Paws Run) in July with our dog Molly. Life doesn't get any better than Running, Jumping, and Leaping through the woods with Molly.
I went on a rant, but my thoughts during my run was how grateful I am that I didn't give in to the peer pressure of running.
I ran from the beginning of Dickey Ridge on Skyline to the flag pole at the Dickey Ridge center and back to Skyline which I measured as 10.2 in 1 hr 34 minutes. I had a difficult time breathing in the beginning but I slowed down a little and paced myself better after the second mile. I get a little excited when running up hill and I forget to pace myself. That is my big weakness pacing myself on the hills. I have a ton of training in my future, but I'll get there with the help of my husband, daughters, family, and friends. My goal is the 50K in September.
My next long run is Wednesday for 2 hrs on Dickey Ridge again.
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