30 Dec. 2006
Many years ago, during a Zen retreat at Tassajara in Northern California, the featured T-shirt was emblazoned with a pudgy Buddhist monk, running, wearing robes and an expression of supreme serenity. The non-event memorialized by the shirt was “No Race, 1988,” a sort of insider’s joke about detachment and the practice of privileging process over product, path over destination.
I thought of that shirt today, and if I still had one, I’d have worn it during this morning’s Resolution 10K to celebrate the experience of a non-race race. I wasn’t planning to race today—still in off-season mode after the Long Beach marathon and my recent marriage, both events conducive to relaxed running rather than gritty, all-out training. So I did what many of us do when we don’t plan to race: I volunteered. Initially assigned to pickup duty in my pickup, I wasn’t needed until mid-morning, so I planned to join my usual group for our long/tempo run. When I got Wally’s message asking me to show up early, I decided to help out, then do the 10K as a tempo run.
Dianna Hall accompanied me, and we went out nice and easy, picking it up progressively to run our fastest mile at the end. There’s something wonderful about not racing a race. You can catch up with friendly banter the first few miles. You can shout “Looking Good!” to friends as they fly by, and thank volunteers. You can pick up the pace (or not) according to how you feel, without the race monkey on your back. You have the luxury of encouraging runners along the way, a gesture that takes too much precious oxygen when you’re going for a PR. And finally, you don’t mind those few seconds over a nice round number as you cross the line and stop your watch.
Today, I had a great workout in a gorgeous setting, with the sun shining and the sweet good nature of the running community spilling over into the rest of my day (and on into the new year). And I didn’t give a damn about my time. Hey, it’s all good.
Way to go Maggie! Thanks for sharing with us. You Rock! 38 degrees not too cold? PR at your age! I know how hard you trained for this, then to pull it off in a marathon, is quite special. It takes a special combination of mental toughness, embracing pain, long term tenacity, getting out of bed to run early in the mornings, going to bed early to get up early, working full time on your feet… how do you do it, girl?