Ever skip a family party because of a race?

JBUCK wrote:

Going back to this race, its live or die. Yes it is a High School Graduation, so Im going to hit the race, finish in 20 minutes, jump in the car, and catch the end of the ceremony.

Malmo-thanks for the feedback. My generation hasn't gone to hell, but the next one has!

Forgive me but, please, tell me you could've thought of this solution on your own! You didn't need Letsrun posters to make the suggestion. You are 28 years old, capable of weighing the timing involved so you could make both BIG events. Your generation has great possibilities, true, but on this point I'm a bit dismayed.

Several great points have been made by my asstute colleges, which I would ran in the following order:

1. You should be working on your track and race speeds. I did a quick search of your posts and think, NO I KNOW, there is room for a drastic improvement in times. Pick up the pace.... run harder, run more instense, run more often.

2. You should be able to work out the issue of attending on your own. Have you asked your sister in law? Her bothers/ sisters? Running is important to you, is this event important to her?

3. Dedicate yourself to the art of running. There are many sources of inspiration out there that will help guide you towards inner peace....

run free-

track and race speeds-currently working on 800's once a week to improve 5K PR. Lately have had success running 5 or 6 x 800 around 3:00..Tinman, Hadd, even Crazy Jason have inferred longer intervals with short (200m) rests or 4 x 1 mile @ 5K pace or better.

Sister in-law-no problem making the race and making the ceremony. The ceremonies usually last 1.5 hours, and the race is only 20 minutes, so timing is not a problem.

Dedication-Running is it. Since last year Ive kept mileage the same 25-30/week-- but Ive increased the intensity to run at the higher aerobic end.

Im defintely no elite (not 16min 5K haha!)..but long term improvement in 5k to 10k is defintely my goal-19 min 5K PR this Fall

thanks.

My brother scheduled his wedding on the weekend of my final collegiate race. I told him I'd be there if it had to be that way, but I asked him to change it. (It was also a bad weekend for my parents, whom he hadn't consulted either.) He moved it to a week later.

As for graduations, possibly the most overrated ceremony in history. That being said, I took a two-hour flight from the East Coast after running nationals XC on the morning of my high school graduation, made it just in time for the ceremony that evening. It was only worth it to see friends (we'd all been away at college for several months by then), but apparently I missed the best post-nationals party of my 4-year college career. At least that's what my teammates claim.

In h.s., my coach was going to let me run the men's 3200 at their conference meet (the women's meet was the day before, we were in a very small, crappy conference with almost no good distance runners, so i would have been in the top 2/3 of the men's race probably) but my parents made me go to my cousin's graduation instead- it was the longest, hottest, more boring graduation ever. I would have chosen to race any day.

You light-weights miss a race for a family outing? Hell, I invent things to miss family parties.

As my dad has always stated, "High School Graduation is the most angst-ridden piece of shit ever concocted." Hell, I will not be attending mine own. Frankly, I find that it is just another way for companies like Hallmark and Josten to bilk families out of hard earned money. She won't give a shit in two years when she's actually realized that a college degree is what matters.

Also, I have attended a few of these things myself and have come up with some universal truths:

1) All commencent speakers should abide by the rule, "verbosity offucscates."

2) Most Valedictorians are terrible speakers and go with the usual angst ridden, we did it together diatribe that makes me want to vomit.

3) If the graduating class is over 400 people, wait in the car and have someone call when the letter before your loved one has been called. Example: If the name is Jones, then go in when "L's" are in procession.

4) ALWAYS SPECIFY WHAT GRADUATION GIFT YOU WANT! No offense, most elderly grand parents seem to miss the mark, so be sure you are clear in your wants.

GPB you had me scared there for awhile!

Gram Parsons Biatch! wrote:

1) All commencent speakers should abide by the rule, "verbosity offucscates."

Verbosity obfuscates, also. Many, too many have graduated w/far fewer spelling skills than you. To pass, work obfuscates verbally into a sentence before graduation day.

I agree with mud. These obligations are really a tedious bore. I was just thinking the other day about what a treat I have this spring: NO graduations, weddings or other over-hyped events.

I go to 'em when I'm asked, cause I don't want to piss anybody off. (I'm a cowardly, easily guilt-ridden slug.)

Damn straight.

"4) ALWAYS SPECIFY WHAT GRADUATION GIFT YOU WANT! No offense, most elderly grand parents seem to miss the mark, so be sure you are clear in your wants."

There's really only three acceptable gifts for a college bound student graduating high school.

--summer trip to Europe

--car for college

--money for college

Obviously the 1st two are not very realistic for many people, but money always helps in college when you're down to your last ramen..

Dimwit- RIGHT! Run the race but if they would be offended by that, then tell them you got sick, are traveling out of town, etc. etc.

JBuck wrote:

its the Detroit RFTC June 5th. Its a big race, but I have NO chance of winning-but I love the race-havent missed it for three years in a row, and this one is to break 20 min. Im a old, slow guy (28). thanks for the feedback.

Logically I should go to the graduation, but I'll be sitting there the whole time thinking about the race and thinking..where would I rathar be....

JBuck,

Some things for you:

1) At 28, you're not old. I'm almost 38 and I don't consider myself old yet.

2) You've got guts mentioning your hope to break 20 minutes in a 5k. I'll never slam you for that goal though, but good for you for not giving a rat's ass what others here think (or at least SAY they think).

3) Go to the party. You're doing it for her, not for you, and it's a good idea to get in the habit of doing things for women. Not sure how she is your sister-in-law, but if you're married to her sister then it can only benefit you to go. Chivalry was never about being nice to women just for being nice's sake. It was always done to GET SOME later. Learn it, know it, accept it. GO TO THE PARTY.

dimwit wrote:

You light-weights miss a race for a family outing? Hell, I invent things to miss family parties.

I have an uncle who does that. He's a son of a bitch though, so no one's terribly upset that he's not there. Any parallels?

Flagpole-

I think we all have a black sheep in our family-that aunt or uncle that skips all the birthdays.

Hell my wife has six sisters-all from 16 to 32 years old. One of them has two kids, and another one has one in the 'warmer'.

Speaking of family parties-anyone ever heard of spending 1200$ on a baby shower? WTF? My wifes sister is having a baby shower on Sat-50 girls-seems rediculous to me.

As far as racing goes-yep 20 min PR-but I still have about

15 good years left. I see many race results where there are guys in there 40's bringing home first place in the 5K.

Is 30 miles a week going to get me to 19 minutes? After being an avid reader of Hadd, Malmo, JTupper and Noakes' info and from people chiming in, 30 mi/week might get a person somewhere, but why not try 40-50-60/week. It seems to work for many. thanks

I skipped one of my best friends' weddings, if that counts.

i missed my brother's wedding to run at our conference meet

bitch move, but i wasn't about to tell my teammates and coach i had to skip the most important meet of xc

my brothers should have changed the date for me

JBuck -- Yes -- you will reap benefits from any mileage increase. You also need to get your body used to running 6:27 pace. Do intervals one or two days a week. For instance, 800's at 6:15 pace. Since you're new at this, play around with your pacing and read up on what the experts recommend. I do not profess to being an expert but came to running about the same time in life as you and this has worked for me. Let us know when you break 20 minutes.