Ever skip a family party because of a race?

If the race is the local Memorial Day Jogger Fest 5K I think you know the answer perfectly well -- DON'T BE A JERK! GO TO THE GRADUATION! So please provide some specifics on the event and about yourself and I'm sure a few experts on here will tell you what to do.

If you have a shot at winning overall, and there is a lot of prize money, you should go to the race, if it is just some local little race with 300 people an the winner is in the mid 16's then go to the graduation.

my dad and i race every year and show up about 4 hours late to our family reunion

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....

I tried to skip my own college graduation for my conference championships (I was a walk-on, slow on my own team, no chance for getting out of the heats, but still). Somehow, I couldn't seem to talk my parents out of it.

If you have to question it and ask yourself whether or not your being selfish, well then u probably r.

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....

you're setting youself up for a thrashing on these boards....28 years old and still running 20 mins??? Forget teh 5K, forget the graduation, get some training in dude!

Ha, have the same problem:) But I'm the one graduating from college...only my parents are divorced and I don't want to deal with the stress that comes along with the two of them(such as, "as long as I don't see him or speak to him, or hear him speak or know he's in the same town, everything will be okay sweetie" and "your mother's a b*#!%")...so am going home to run in Beach to Bay, a race I've missed the last 4 yrs b/c of school. Do what you want...what does it really matter in the long run?

It would be an honor to get ripped on this board.

Yeah I'm a late bloomer. But bet late than never.

If your sister-in-law will be mad she doesn't give you much respect. Maybe she should skip graduation to go to the race. I assume at graduation she'll spend less than a minute walking up to get a piece of paper.

She's already done her thing.

When you win a medal do you get mad if your fans leave before you get the award?

I missed my sister's college graduation because of a track meet my freshman year in college. My parents and sister tryed to talk me into go but they never had a chance. She still brings it up occasionally but I stand by my decision.

JBuck wrote:

It would be an honor to get ripped on this board.

Just when I thought your generation had no hope, a clear thinker emerges. Bravo, JBuck, you have arrived!

I skipped my highschool graduation to run my state meet. Theres always college graduation.

At least he's got the balls to say what he really runs instead of most other idiots on this board who consistently lie about their times.

I skipped a family member's funeral once to race. You're an adult. Make a decision. People get over it. Besides, like others have said, she's going to walk across the stage for 3 seconds and in 2 years realize that there's way more to life than high school. I say, race. And race well, my friend.

It is too bad that people place such a high value on a high school graduation. What is next? I went to the bathroom so lets have a party!

I did not attend my college graduation and when I finish my masters, I won't be attending that graduation either. I am not going through all this effort only to hear some people blab on for hours in the baking sun. I certainly will not subject my family to such abuse.

You should not run if getting your sister in law pissed matters to you; but then again, why would she get pissed since a high school diploma is not a whole hell of a lot in this world.

Got to tell ya man, but with a p.r. like that I think I would go to the graduation. And as far as being old, you're just a young pup in this crowd. Also, maybe you're selling yourself short. I'm sure you can improve a lot, it just takes time and hard work. That is the great thing about running, to a point you're only limited by how hard YOU want to work. Best of luck.

JBuck also has the balls to use his own name. Unlike me.

Where's the graduation? Your race will be over in under 20 minutes because you're going to hit your goal. Do both and be a hero. Seriously, can you skip the boring ceremony and make the reception?

A college graduation??? I don't care if YOU'RE the one graduating, there will be 5-10,000 people there. who gives a damn if you're one of them? Just my .02 but I always thought there was far too much importance placed on this at both the HS and College levels. Usually the ones celebrating longest and loudest are those who can't believe the nimrod they bore actually accomplished something. I used to have a "Lapinski's Law of Matriculation" which basically said that if the person presiding over the ceremony asked you to hold your applause until eveyone's name had been called, then the amount of noise still made by a family or group was inversely proportional to their class rank. Anyone that has attended the number of graduations I have on both the hs and college level will agree.