Is racing FUN?? (& MWRR report)

[anakiwa]

On the way to the Mt Washington Road Race yesterday, the subject came up- Is racing fun? We all think of it as fun- but when we're actually doing it- are we miserable? Is it the activities afterwards, the social time, and any of a number of other aspects that makes racing seem fun?

The race:
'Only one hill' For anyone not familiar with New England, Mt. Washington is the tallest mountain around. The race follows the autoroad. The overall elevation gain is 4650 feet, over 7.6 miles, average grade 11.5%.

My report:
Mile 1- Felt okay. I live in Vermont and run up hills frequently, I'd been told the grade would be steep, but it felt very do-able, still felt uncertain about wheter I could maintain things though. I was surprised that by the first mile marker, some people had already started to walk.

Mile 3- Still felt okay. Almost everyone around me was walking at this point. They seemed to run for brief periods, then walk (a few people even sprinted for <30 second intervals, only to walk quite a bit in between). At this point I'd settled into a slow but steady jog (walking at water stations only) and felt comfortable (and was also enjoying slowly gaining on all the run/walkers).

Mile 5- Started to get tired and thirsty (there was no water stop between mile 4 and 6). Some of the steadier run/walkers were starting to gain on me. I was definitely slowing down a little.

Last mile- I'd made it that far. It flattens out between the 7 mile mark and the headwall (the last short but steep 22% grade to the very top) and I was starting to feel more comfortable that I'd make it. I even managed summon enough energy to run up the headwall.

Total time: 1:46:16 (Pace 13:59/mile)

And something we can all shoot for:
Age of oldest finisher: 87
Age of oldest female finisher: 78

So back to the original question: Did I have fun???
I'm not sure. The day was fun. The feeling of satisfaction I had when it was all over was fun. The race was hard- I was wishing I'd trained more (and taken off a few of the extra pounds I've been carrying around for the last few months). There were moments when it was fun, but particularly around mile 5, they were few and far between. Of course now as I sit here writing, it seems totally FUN.

So does everyone else have fun when she races?

[rocknrollgirl]

I think there is a point in almost every race when the fun factor is questionable. I know personally, I always have a chat with myself somewhere in the race that goes like...you know, you do not have to do this.....

The race I did in May was really hard, and I went all out, so the line between fun and tourture was blurred pretty well at one point...but that being said...
I love to race, and I need to race. I need to have a goal to work toward.

I even really like those super hard workouts that make you feel barfy...

OH NO, I AM A PSYCHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kimmyt]

There are points that are fun during the event, but there are also points that aren't fun during the event. However, I think all of these are overshadowed by the feeling you get when you finished.

People that push themselves to the limit have something special that makes them able to do that to themselves and enjoy it. Half the time I think it's selective memory. They forget the bad parts and remember the good parts!

(and the post-event beer is really one of my favorite good parts ever)

K.

[Pika]

I agree with the others- some of it is fun- I really like to know my limits pushing them is the fun part
I guess there is part of me that thinks there really is nothing better than a "sufferfest" - at least after the fact

[RoadRaven]

A very good question... philosophical almost...

I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun... but how do I explain to someone that having muscles hurt for 2 days, or pushing myself to the point of wanting to throw up and just get it over with, is fun....

Well, it seems kind've contradictory... when is fun no longer fun, and when does it turn back into fun again???

Thats too tough-a-question for me to find an answer to!

[Kimmyt]

Well, it seems kind've contradictory... when is fun no longer fun, and when does it turn back into fun again???

it's fun the second it's over!! i have a friend that is like that with climbing. she'll be on routes and hollering about how awkward this and that move was, how reachy it was, etc. then she gets down to the bottom and is all, 'oh that was fun!'

selective memory!

[teigyr]

Very true. It's been years since I've raced though I did sign up for a sprint tri in Sept! Way back when it was stressful but I was very young and there was a lot of pressure. I don't have fond memories of it at all.

Now though I do the selective memory thing with centuries, etc. I question my sanity during, I whine to myself, I wish it was over. Never do I think about stopping though and once it's done, I think "wow, that was FUN!" and I remark about how I want to do it the next year.

Got to second the beer garden though. THAT makes it worthwhile too!!!

[HappyAnika]

Half the time I think it's selective memory. They forget the bad parts and remember the good parts!

My thoughts on this, not from racing, but just training (and cycling, not running). I totally agree with Kimmyt here. Yesterday DH and I went out to ride his upcoming 30 mile tri route. The route was a very typical foothill route: some flats to start, a gradual climb with some steep sections, a wicked fast descent, and some rollers to finish. It was really hot yesterday, and despite our early start, I was struggling on the climb with the heat. I usually think to myself on climbs, "Why am I doing this? I hate this. This is not fun." What keeps me going? Not wanting to feel like a wimp for quitting, and the sense of accomplishment I get from finishing. Oh, and in this case because it was a loop, not an out and back. Then, 5 minutes after feeling like I hate cycling, I'm flying down the wicked fast descent, which I think is the absolute most funnest thing in the world, thinking "I f%@#ing love this! Whhhheeeeeeeeee!" And then forgetting the pain and suffering I think, "Ooh, lets do that again!"

Great job on the run Anakiwa! It sounds brutal, but you finished! That's an amazing accomplishment.

[RoadRaven]

LOL... selective memory...

ROTFLMAO... forgetting the bad parts...

I wish!

Nope, I know it will hurt...
I know how much in a TT I have to make myself hurt and feel sick...
I know how hard it will be to breath and make my legs grind over "just one more time" on hill reps...

I know... and yet still I enthuse, and want to get others to get on their bikes, and I tell everyone it is addictive and loads of FUN!!!

And still I plan and pine for the next ride, the next race...

[HappyAnika]

RR - Your post makes me think of Lance Armstrong. I'm just finishing reading "It's Not About the Bike", and he's talking about how he likes pain. He enjoys suffering, and he's proud that he can suffer more than just about anyone. Reading about some of his training rides, how he struggled up a steep mountain for 4 hours in the freezing rain, and he didn't think he'd "learned" the climb, so he hopped in the car to go back to the bottom, then spent another 4 hours in the freezing rain riding up it again. OUCH!

[anakiwa]

I was once told that someone studied what people think about as they run and compared elite runners to us ordinary folks. Apparantly, the average runner thinks about all sorts of stuff- trying to tune out the pain. The really elite people were less likely to avoid thinking about how much it hurt. Don't know how accurate this was (just something I was told once) but the comments about Lance certainly fit.

[RoadRaven]

Yes, Anika, I have read that book a couple of times... his ability to put himself "to the test" just because he could is/was phenomenal...

Thats interesting, Anakiwa... I would consider myself "ordinary folks" and def not elite... my race placings and times show that consistently.

But I don't try and think of other things, I do "acknowledge" and focus on the discomfort. I do try not to accept it is pain, but the more intensely I feel it, the better I know I am doing and it ... well... it kind've "drives" me if that makes sense???