Taking my EGO out of the race.

by

rsz_photo-94

When last we left me I’d finished Running for a Better Oakland.

The 5k race where the child had been entirely convinced she stood a chance of winning.

rsz_image-4

Propelled by her enthusiasm I agreed to speak at a ZOOMA NAPA event and, the next morning, run their half-marathon.

To this misfit-mama it felt like the PERFECT way to encourage my child’s nascent love of running (Im jealous! Im jeaous!) and, more than that, a serendipitous opportunity to practice what I longed to preach about moving our bodies in fun, playful ways!

First and foremost I knew I had to focus on the WHAT of the weekend in Napa.

What on EARTH did this non-runner, exercises-mainly-by-way-of-PLAY Mama have to share with these amazing women?

I pondered.

I brainstormed with a friend.

I decided.

What *else* would a BRAZEN MISFIT do but take a much adored concept and attempt to turn it on its head?

I decided to take the beaten-to-DEATH S.M.A.R.T. goals and make them my own.

I created B.R.A.Z.E.N. goals.

That decision made I was free to commence my training program.

My fabulous comprehensive program created by wise runnerwoman Amanda.

I commenced. I focused.

I attended a training run offered by ZOOMA, enjoyed the camaraderie, and even snapped this slightly askew photo whilst running:

rsz_photo229

The thing is, while I was off running and photo-snapping, I missed out on an event with the Tornado.

It wasn’t a huge deal—but it sparked me to step back and question:

Is running a half-marathon my priority right now?

Quite frankly my answer was NO.

Ever the terrible program follower misfit, I went out the next week and ran ten miles to see if I even had it in me to do a half-marathon.

I did it, but the run felt *interminable.*

It was in that moment I realized the half was more about my ego than about the child.

To her a 5k, 10k, or half-marathon are all the same.

She’s excited to See mama run! and might even prefer the waiting-length of a 10k over the WAAAITING LENGTH of her mama’s half-marathon pace.

I know I’d prefer that too.

  • When I was still and honest with myself I was running the half-marathon because it felt more of an impressive accomplishment than a 10k.
  • When I was still and *brutally* honest with myself running the half-marathon for *me* would have been ego driven and that’s not how I strive to be.

I re-evaluated my goal and realized it was time to tweak.

Running the 10k would give me more time for the letter R and N (foreshadowing! foreshadowing!) and, at the same time, remove my EGO from the entire race’equation.

And so that’s my update of sorts.

  • My ego has been surgically removed from the Zooma Napa weekend.
  • My enthusiasm is now completely sparked by the opportunity to share/get feedback on B.R.A.Z.E.N. goal setting.

And it all feels just perfectly, ego-less *right.*

POSTS BY EMAIL

Never miss a post. Enter your email to get my latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Comments

  4. I think I might feel the same way.
    I would need to try for a 10k but it would seem less of a big thing to me and my twins.
    Good on you for not being me 🙂

  5. I would agree that the best way to encourage the Tornado’s love of running is to enjoy it yourself!
    You would not enjoy a half-marathon.

  6. Oh Carla, I just LOVE reading your posts. You are so wise, so smart, and now even more (as if it was possible) ego-less! Thank you for sharing your wisdom, and I would say it is still something to be proud of 🙂 So enjoy 🙂

  7. I can’t wait to hear your acronym, Carla.
    I need a goal setting refresher ASAP.

  8. I hope that 10 mile “test run” wasn’t part of the plan. It really should have sucked without building up a base first. 😉

    I think the 10K makes so much more sense for you and there is nothing “just” about it!

  9. NO DEFINITELY NOT PART OF THE PLAN (she shouts fearing Amanda’s reprisal :-)) but something I wanted to do to see if I could. I could. I wasnt even too overwhelmingly sore etc the next day—but it was a GREAT nudge reminder running a half is not for me. It would have been for the EGO.

  12. Reading this makes me realize how much of my racing I do to feed my ego.

    I’m okay with that. It’s my favorite type of ego boost! 🙂

  13. 10k is a huge accomplishment in my book…I can still barely run a 5k. Oh, and I agree with Tornado, porta-potty’s do smell bad! 😉

  14. The question is – will you be wearing Hoka shoes?? 😉 I am not promoting them anymore due to their lack of respect for us smaller peeps BUT I do love the shoes! 🙂 Too bad the head person is the guy from Ahnu.. I was going to tweet my dislike but I like Ahnu… 🙂

    Looking forward to reading more about this!!!

  16. Very lovely post. It really made me step back and think about my reasons for trying to (unsuccessfully) lose weight. I need to get the ego out of it!

  19. I am so happy that you realized this now, before you had to build up your mileage to an interminable point 😉
    Keep the FUN in the RUN!

  20. Hooray for you!!! You are a runner – it doesn’t matter the time or distance, it is just the act of doing it!!!
    And, I hope you are going to share your B.R.A.Z.E.N. with us!!!

  22. Whoa, whoa, whoa… I thought we agreed that you were just going to do a reading from my blog. WHY DO YOU EVEN ASK MY ADVICE IF YOU’RE GOING TO IGNORE IT?

  23. With no training you just went out and ran 10 miles? I think you may have missed your calling if you can do that! hahaha

  24. I am so happy to hear this! As a running coach I see so many people set goals that require priority and just don’t give them that. You are setting a beautiful example here. Thank you!

  25. 10ks are awesome! I get sucked into the longer stuff too, but I think 5ks and 10ks are a lot of fun, and take a lot less commitment to finish without dying. No need to put yourself through something you don’t enjoy for the sake of ego!

  26. Taking the ego out of the race – oh heck yes! You’ll probably wind up doing far better! A friend of mine recently ran a race and she had to walk a few times and she puked.. She was so upset with herself but I told her to think about how she even went out there to do it!!!!! Not many people can say they run 1/2 marathons!

  29. If you can run 10 miles, you can easily run a half M. The rule is you can go double your training distance. Just as long as you don’t run too fast.

    I’ve run a couple halfs. The crowds were the best part of the race. The 10 K is the perfect distance for fitness, however.

  31. 10K’s and 10 milers are two of my favorite distances!! There’s something mentally intimidating about adding another 3.1 miles to that 10 mile run. Although I’ve done it, I can’t say I enjoy it. 🙂

  32. I think living life is finding what works for you. You don’t have to go out and run a half marathon unless YOU have that desire. If you are happy with a 5k or 10k, that is awesome. A priority for one person may be the furthest from another person’s mind. Good for you in choosing what’s best for YOU.

  35. Oh such a good choice based on what you wrote — and I do hope you share B.R.A.Z.E.N with us one day (or even E-Book it!)
    <3

  37. You are a smart woman. I run half marathons because I love that distance. I don’t run marathons because, well, I don’t enjoy them or the training for them. Have fun at the 10k! Your daughter will still think you are amazing and you won’t hate the race. Win/win!

    Still wish I could run with you…

  38. Love her essay! I think many of us push ourselves too far just to stroke our egos. But in the end there’s really no reward if it’s only for that purpose. I prefer the fun part of being fit as well.

  39. I love this honesty so much. You realize it inspires more honesty, right? Not just about running. Just life in general. xxxooo

  40. Good for you, Carla! I think you’re totally doing the right thing. I’m slowly learning the difference between doing things I want to do vs things I feel I should do, and it’s people like you that help reiterate that message. Thank you!

  41. A wise lesson and one which I should listen to at times. It can be hard to extract the ego sometimes and to actually do what is best. Thank you for your honesty!

  43. The only reason to run or enter anything is because you love it and you want to do it…
    not for anyone else or any other reason.

  44. Carla, I am always inspired by the self-reflection in your points. Very few people can pause and think critically about their motivations about why they are doing something. I definitely have caught myself doing something to prove something to myself and kind of show off. Time for me to stop as well! Inspirational read.

  45. I think you made a SUPER smart choice! I love the half marathon distance… but I LOVE running. 😉 For someone who isn’t a big fan of running… that would be a big leap. Putting your EGO aside, and challenging yourself to run a 10K (6.2 miles) is still an epic challenge. 🙂 I personally, think that the 10K is harder than the half… only because you run faster! LOL

    I am excited to see you and your BRAZEN self next month. 🙂

  47. And if you are still writing about your running/races- then ego is involved.
    (I have run/raced HUNDREDS of races and never felt the need to tell/write about them).

Trackbacks

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This