Race times are everywhere. A 1:30 half marathon, a 6 minute mile, a 5 hour marathon.
But do they tell us anything interesting?
The time alone doesn’t mark a success or disappointment, no matter how “fast” the time may seem.
The interesting part isn’t someone’s race time, it’s the story of how they got there. How did they become a runner? How did they pick that race? What did they hope to get out of it? What was their training like and what did they learn along the way?
I’d rather talk to someone who never thought they’d be a runner and just ran their first marathon in 7 hours, than someone who regularly coasts through 3 hour marathons but doesn’t really think about what value running adds to their life.
I’m the slowest runner I’ve ever been right now. My easy run pace has gone from 8 minute miles to 10 or 11 minute miles. But magically, running still gives me all the enjoyment, mental clarity, challenge, and fulfillment it always has. Even more, actually. I appreciate and prioritize it more than ever, and you’ll never hear me say I had a bad run, because there’s no such thing. My only challenge is finding some new on-pace running friends, but I can wait patiently for Bumble or Strava to release a run-friends-matching app (my million dollar idea!).
The saying goes: “The journey is the destination.” I think we can love both the journey and the destination, but the journey is the interesting part.
PS - My music recommendation this week is San Fermin. If you want a song to start with, try In This House.