When I crossed the finish line of the Whistler Half Marathon this past June 1st, I immediately did what I always do when I cross the finish line of any race.
I made a face like I was dying.
Hubby is a faster runner than me. He is always waiting for me at the finish line.
Once he said, “You know why the medical people always run over to you and ask you if you’re okay?”
“No” I said, “I don’t know.”
“It’s because you look like you’re going to die. Do you have to be so dramatic?”
To drive his point home, he decided to capture it on camera. A few seconds after I crossed the finish line in Whistler he snapped this picture of me.
Oh. Dear. Me.
He was right (and you can just tell how funny he thinks it is).
Normally, my exaggerated facial expression don’t last very long. A mere 10 seconds later, he snapped another photo. It might have been because I demanded he do a re-take.
I get it. I totally get it now. You know, the race wasn’t even one of the toughest I’ve run. In fact, I’d run it as a ‘fun run’. Not for time, just for fun. So what was I trying to prove? You can see the girls around me who crossed at the same time as me aren’t ‘dying’.
Anyways, I think I’ve got it figured out. I ‘die’ at the end of each race because I’m trying to prove a point. I’m attempting to let everyone know that I gave it my ALL out there on course. Of course I did – see how much I’m dying?!!
It’s amazing sometimes what we do completely unconsciously. Although I didn’t realize what I was doing, I believe it was merely a continuation of another problem I have.
That would be the need to run a personal best each time I race. If I don’t think that will happen, I attempt to hide the fact I’m racing so as to not let anyone see my terrible time.
Cut. It. Out.
As a coach myself, I am constantly encouraging clients to be proud of their race results no matter what time they cross with. After all, it is not just about the finishing time. It’s about the entire experience of running, training, pushing and racing. We cannot PB every single time. Not even the elites do that.
I’d come to Whistler to run a fun and non-competitive race and cheer on my dad. This was his first half marathon ever and I was so excited for him to race!
And I did enjoy the experience, I truly did. I loved the gorgeous scenery – it was the most scenic race I’ve ever run. Half of it was on paved trails. Yes, it was hilly (make that extremely hilly) but it was a blast. I felt good. I even thought my second half was faster than my first half (it wasn’t).
So why the face at the end? Habit, I guess.
But you can bet that when I cross my next finish line there will be no drama, no faces, no dying.
Let’s see if I can finish each race here on forward with a smile on face, regardless of whether I’m achieving a new PB or simply adding another race to my list of accomplishments.
I’m planning on running a sub-3:21 marathon on October 13th. I truly believe I can do it. But I promise you that regardless of the time the clock says when I cross, I will be smiling.
101 days to race day 🙂
RunFasterSarah (my running adventures) 