Thursday, March 27, 2014

Being selfish

I think most of us will admit that ultra-running is a selfish endeavor. We do it because we want to. Sure, we might run a race "in honor of..." or "in memory of..." but we are still doing it because we want to.

When I first moved to Albuquerque I didn't know anyone and I didn't know the trails. I ran a few times with folks from a meetup group (ABQ Girlfriends on the Run), but they mainly ran roads and I only run trails. After a few months, I decided ABQ needed a trail running group so I started the Sandia Trail Runners meetup. We now have 137 members. Admittedly, there are many who have never attended a run and there are several who have run once and never returned. But there are a bunch of people on the list.

I started the group for totally selfish reasons. The funny thing is, when I run with the group, I can't be selfish. I always stick with the slowest runner. I never leave someone on the trails alone. This means that I sacrifice (you like that word? Sounds like I am a martyr.) my  own training. I end up going much slower than I would like. I end up not running with those who run my pace. I generally enjoy the slower runners more than the faster runners, but still....

My question is, would I do this if I were a man? Would I stick with the slowest runners or would I be out there pushing myself to stay up with the leaders, or at least the faster folks?

I am planning a Double Crossing of the Sandias the first weekend in May. While I would love company, I fear that I would end up baby sitting someone. I would rather go on my own. Bummer!!!

Friday, March 7, 2014

My own private diary

Daylight savings time starts this weekend. The trees are leafing out. Spring has arrived. Yeah, yeah, there will be cold weather but it won't last. We are in full training mode. When I go to the trails, I see people who are training, not just walkers. Folks are running hard, looking good, preparing for another season. I love it.

Next week is the Run through time Marathon in Salida. Snow? Maybe. That'll be fine with me.