When I first started running, I was very much into racing.
Racing meant that I was always aiming for that personal best.
It didn’t matter what distance either. From the 5k to the half marathon, I was racing every event.
Don’t get me wrong. Racing has a place in the running world, whether you are an elite athlete or just your average Jo.
A few years into my running journey I found a love of trail running.
Soon enough I found myself in the ultra distances. Running my last ultra at the Warburton Trail Festival in March 2022.
With 3 years of COVID, building a house in 2022, and mental work load, it was just becoming all too much, and I fell out of love with running somewhere along the way.
Later I would learn that it wasn’t running that I had fallen out of love with, it was racing.
Getting COVID in August 2022 was my tipping point, then there was debacle that was Melbourne Marathon.
Recovering from COVID took months. I slowly build up my endurance, and kept things simple.
Meanwhile, I started going to the gym more, and gradually getting my groove back.
Because I’m a person that likes structure, I decided to partipate in the my coaches Learn to Run program, which is apart of the Run Club membership.
Now if you are thinking:
You already know how to run, why would you do a learn to run program?
Sometimes we need to get back to basics. A reset. A reminder why you started.
For me, that was the advanced LTR program.
Strangely, it worked. It has made me realise what I’m capable of.
Most importantly however, it has taught me that I don’t have to race, that I run because I enjoy it, and I revel in the community. We cheer each other on, wins both big and small.
Running doesn’t have to be racing.
Race if you want to, but run because you love to.
