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Hi, I'm starting to get back in to running after a long term lay off due to injury. I'm just wondering how many people run to race against number of people who run but don't race? Has anybody been put off racing afterwards?
I'm quite happy going along on my own but thinking that trying a few local races that are coming up might be worth entering. There is a club quite local that seem to have a strong membership that might be worth looking at.
Race if you want to, I 'race' but even though I would really like to win, will certainly not for at least a good few years.. I do it just to enjoy the run, mark my progress and meet good people!
It's the old runner or racer one again. I'm a racer, but not at the moment due to chronic, long term injury; i've got no choice but to be a runner, but i'll settle for it after what i've been through.
I run to race but it all depends how I feel on the day too...sometimes I'll enter a race and just use it as training but 99% of the time I will go for it (I'm only a middle of the pack finisher at best at the moment though!)
I enter & run lots of races but don't consider myself a 'racer' as such, you will put more effort into a race than any training run though, that's for sure!
I don't do many races and most of them are for charity. I just love to run and watch and visit scenery.
I used to race a bit, but to be honest, never really enjoyed it. I got in to fell running as I simply love running & being somewhere remote. So whenever I consider racing I always ask myself "will I enjoy it?". The answer is invariably "No". I prefer running with friends, on my own, discovering new places without the pressure of a race. Simply: race if you enjoy it, if not, don't.
I used to race quite a lot but as time went on I realised that racing was restricting the amount of time I was able to spend out on the hills, then I got into utra`s and found what I really enjoyed that is being out for long periods of time just being at one with the enviroment.
However being part of large groups of entrant`s was something I felt detracted from my ideal of being in wild places and pleasing myself as to where I was heading and at what pace. Also I did not like paying large sums of money in travel and entry fee`s ( the average fell race was ok as the entry fees are reasonable and the number of entrant`s are often quite small)
So now I run mostly solo with my dog for company and please myself what route I take and how far I go and when, this gives me a lot more scope and I find I cover far greater distances than I did when I was training and racing.
Just take your time try things and find what suits you good Luck
I primarily run because I enjoy running and getting out into the hills. Sometimes I also race, but not so much these days, I find find I prefer chasing daydreams rather than vests now.
Clubs aren't just for racing though, so don't be put off joining your local club. Our club has many members who run loads and race loads, we also have many members who run loads and never race, but who often meet up on weekends for runs out together. Don't forget the veritable mid-week club runs too. If you want some company for your runs or just to meet like minded people joining your local club is often a good bet and it doesn't have to come with the expectation or pressure to race.
I used to do lots of races -I got injured a lot and spent inordinate amounts of time on the M6.
It was at some point during a race that I thought (not for the first time) that a) I wasn't actually enjoying it and b) I had no time to appreciate the stunning scenery we had been running through. (I doubt I had seen much other than the bum in front for most of it!)
These days there are a couple of races I will enter regularly e.g. Lake District Mountain Trial and other than that, may be 1 or 2 new races or other old favourites that I feel like doing. That said, I don't tend to actually "race" them as such. I'm happy with a low placing and enjoying the day.
The rest of my fell/trail running tends to be solo or with the dog. I just head off wherever takes my fancy.
I'm sure a lot of this is to do with age - I am way past being competitive even in age categories not that I probably ever was anyway!
Having always lived some distance from any of the main fell-running areas, travel to fell races has been a major consideration for me. But when I was racing more frequently, the journey to and from the race became part of the fun: I usually travelled by train and bicycle, staying away for a weekend or longer. So I would see some of the countryside around the race venue on my bike, and the train journey is much more relaxing (though more expensive!) than driving. The races gave me an excuse to get out into the hills, when I might not have gone otherwise.
Since getting married to a lady whose only running is around a tennis court, these weekends away have been off the agenda. However, I did find an excuse to go off for one in September this year. £69 rail fare and £36 for two nights in Youth Hostels: worth every penny for running the Half Peris race, with a short bike ride the day before (Bangor to Llanberis), and a much longer one the day after the race (finishing in Prestatyn).