[ ] Race Toughness

So I broke my reconstructed race hymen on Saturday and it feels good. It feels so good, in fact, that I put together a racing schedule for myself for the upcoming months. More on that later.

Races are good for me and for anyone else who trains alone. When I run a race properly I can achieve a level of discomfort I just can't simulate in a workout. Alone on a dark track, nobody can see me get lazy during an interval. In a race, when I can't/don't push through the pain, then I get passed by bozos who have no business beating me, which is a real bummer. When the real pain hit in Saturday's race, I did not push through it. I did not push through it because I couldn't push through it because I'm not 'race tough' anymore. The only way for me to get 'race tough' is to race. So that's what I'm a-gonna do.

And now, the tentative racing schedule:

April 29, Great Race 4 Mile
May 13, Running of the Bulls 5k
June 16, Trail Quake Half-Marathon
July 15, Jungle Run Half-Marathon
September 28, Moonlight 5k
October 28, Morgan Hill Marathon
November 11, Home Run 5k

Look for me out there. I'll be the old dude in the Papa Smurf t-shirt.