I have been racing.
And I have been racing Fast.
I am not going to tell you all about my race. If you want to read about it, you can go here.
But, I am going to tell you, that I have found my peace with running.
I wrote this on my running blog in February:
"The funny thing about racing, is that for years, I didn't want to race. A big part of this was that I had spent years racing and chasing personal records, and medals and championships and I didn't need to do that anymore. Another part of the non-racing, was that I knew, in my head, that I would never be able to race as fast as I once did. I did not have the time and the energy to commit to training, and plus, I am not getting any younger. Those speed demon days were over, but I have my PRs burned into my brain, and the thought of racing and being so many minutes away from those PRs, made racing a non-appealing thought."
And the other funny thing is that it has been so long since I was "fast" that I didn't even realize until this afternoon, that my 10 mile race I ran yesterday, was a full 6 minutes faster than the last time I ran it, 5 years ago.
The thing about "Fast" is that Fast is relative. I was once Fast. And I am still Fast. And so is Erin and Barb and my brother, and his wife, and everyone else who shows up and puts their heart and soul into running. Chocolate Girl is Fast and Bari is Fast too. But, sometimes Fast has to take some time to recover. And that is ok. There is a running slogan that says encourages you to "Find Your Strong." I like that. But, I also think it is ok to Find Your Fast. And your Fast might not be the same as someone else's, but it is yours and yours alone.
Once you find your Fast, you might just be motivated to get faster, or run farther, or hike the Pacific Crest Trail....uh hem....(sorry husband, I don't think I can give that one up)....or to just keep on putting one foot in front of another....You OWN your Fast.
So speed on my friends.
Fast is beautiful.
And in this picture, Fast was also very very cold.
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