I train a lot, and measure times and try to improve all the time. I do it for fun, health, challenge. But I don't see the point of competing with other people. It seems so stupid to me, people racing each other. I think those that race others are not the normal ones, what do they have to prove to themselves? You have to build your ego by steping on other people?
If they're in a training group, they might get enough satisfaction beating some of the people in that group.
Some of them might be doing running as cross training
Some hate crowds or hate being competitive
Some are just looking to improve their own PR.
You can think of it as the same as lifting. Not everyone who wants to get stronger is going to enter a lifting competition.
Pretty simple, I enjoy the training more than the racing.
I race every two weeks, luckily in UK we have 5k parkruns so we don't need to pay a fee to race. This usually give me incentive to train, before this schedule i never entered a race unless i knew i was in good shape, this meant it took me several weeks before i would enter a race.
If you like to reach your potential, then the racing often wouldn't be such a good idea. For me personal I'm definitely not going be a elite runner, so i would regret not racing as often as i could, after all this is a hobby. I also don't understand why people here are reluctant to pay for a race fee , especially if racing is your hobby , most other people who are have sporting hobbies usually spend some money on their hobbies because they enjoy it and usually one of the few things that give their lives joy. So i see no problem with spending money on races, obviously there is a limit to this depending on budget and other factors.
This is a silly thread... obviously there are a lot of guys like me (mid 40's and well past their prime) who still enjoy the training a lot. I train late in the afternoon while my own kids are doing after school activities. Every time I race on a Sat or Sun morning, however, it imposes costs on my wife since I'm not around to help with the kids. So, for the past few years I race about 3-4 times per year. Since my races are rare I always skip the little local 5Ks where someone wins with a 18:30, and just try to focus on more competitive 10K - 1/2 marathon. I suspect there are lots of guys and gals who maintain similar sparce racing schedules due to all of life's commitments.
feldman wrote:
I enjoy the training more than the racing.
That's like saying I enjoy dating more than sex.
frequent flyer wrote:
feldman wrote:I enjoy the training more than the racing.
That's like saying I enjoy dating more than sex.
That's a horrible analogy, but good try. Here a better one. It's like enjoying sex more when you're not try to make a baby. Which I do.
Don't race wrote:
I train a lot, and measure times and try to improve all the time. I do it for fun, health, challenge. But I don't see the point of competing with other people. It seems so stupid to me, people racing each other. I think those that race others are not the normal ones, what do they have to prove to themselves? You have to build your ego by steping on other people?
Yeah i understand your statement on improving yourself personally for fun, but i can see the point of competing with other people. If you do get into competitive field with a somewhat large field you may get into a small mini race between people with similar abilities, first this is obviously more fun than doing a time trial but also you're more likely to pr in this situation.
feldman wrote:
frequent flyer wrote:That's like saying I enjoy dating more than sex.
That's a horrible analogy, but good try. Here a better one. It's like enjoying sex more when you're not try to make a baby. Which I do.
It's like saying I enjoy masturbation more than sex.
HRE wrote:
Like so many people here do, you're assuming that everyone is like you.
It takes one to know one.