Decisions Decisions

Every year around this time I get overly confident in my athletic abilities. Perhaps it is a birthday-season crisis, perhaps it is the new year. Whatever it is, I begin thinking about competing again.

It is not as if I don't run, because I do. Those of you that have read this blog know that I actually ran every day last year. It is not like I don't enter races...I do that too. Heck, I even managed a win in a local 5k last year. I'm talking about training and competing with a singular focus on running fast at one event. For some reason, I get this feeling that I can still run fast, even though I ended my official competitive career almost a decade ago. In the time since my last step "in anger", I've built a nice little life around running. Working and coaching in the running industry has given me a bit of an outlet that I've used to fill my competitive urges. But I always wonder if I could actually return to a level that I consider "fast".

The decision to actually be competitive again is only one of the issues. The other is, what distance do I want to run? In my job, I am constantly asked how many marathons I have run. It is as if people don't realize that there are other races out there in which to compete. I've coached tons of marathoners, and long runs in training have been as much as 24 miles, but I've never raced the actual distance. So, in my head, I have put pressure on myself to think I should run a marathon. The half-marathon seems like a nice distance...it is certainly more popular now than ever. However, I always harken back to my first love, the track. I am getting older and have been out of the game for an eternity in track years. At 35, I'm well beyond the age range of good 800 meter runners. That is left to the younger folks. Am I too late to get back to the track for the 1500? 5k? 10k? Bernard Lagat is my age and still runs great 15s, and will make the move to the 5k this year. I know I'm not Bernard Lagat; never have been and never even pretended to be at or near that level. But can I be competitive in track races again? Can I beat kids that are 10+ years younger than I? Mentally I feel like I can, but physically, is it possible? I know from experience that I am not that talented. Every step I've run on the track has been through years of hard work. Could I find that magic again?

So, I'm back to the original question. One, do I attempt to run competitively again? Two, do I focus on longer distances or try to get back on the track. Once again, I am confounded. Ugh. Decisions, decisions...