Of Passing and Being Passed

83 Days to Paris.

I read an article in this month's Runner's World magazine about how men, in particular, hate getting passed while running. It goes on to say that "...male runners' confidence can inflate or deflate depending on whether they are the passer or the passed".

While I would like to think that my psyche is above such petty competitive tendencies, I'm willing to confess, here and now, that I am a running cliche.

Last weekend, during the PPRR's Winter Series race through Cheyenne Mountain I was able to, early in the race, get past a dozen or so people whenever the trail widened up beyond just single file. Each person I passed gave my ego a tiny little boost (well, okay, a big boost), and I would feel my pace pick up, even if just minimally, and even if just in my imagination. Let's face it, for a 224-ish Lb middle aged man to pass a younger, fitter, lighter person, is very satisfying! BOOYAH - Take that, Generation Y!

As we finally reached the apex of the seemingly never ending climb, cosmic payback began: my pace didn't pick up (for reasons that I've already blogged about, and that's my story and I'm sticking to it), and the people I had passed started to pass me. We were finally going downhill and I was very possibly in the way between them and a personal best-time (or at a minimum, between them and the hot cider and hot chocolate waiting for us at the finish). Every time someone would pass me, that little voice inside my head would utter some words of disbelief, but my legs were starting to feel the fatigue and I just couldn't go any faster.

Then, the inconceivable: people I had not passed earlier also started passing me. Ergo, people who had been behind me from the very beginning. Arrghh! Just as I thought I couldn't take the passing anymore, the finish line appeared in the distance. I was finally able to pick up my tempo and sprinted the last few hundred meters. Mission accomplished.

I don't know why the passing and being passed mattered to me so much. After all, what I'm doing is really about personal improvement, and the only person I'm competing with is myself. But again today, as I was out running through the neighborhood, I was able to pass another runner and as soon as I passed her - yes, a her, and she was running with a dog who was probably slowing her down, but whatever, passing is passing - I felt my pace pick up a bit and I may have even had a smile on my face.

That's me. The running cliche.

Training update: 11.1k/7 mile run through the neighborhood. Temp 12c/53F. 1:05:38. Pace: 9:27 Mins/Mile - 5:55 Mins/Km. Estimated marathon time at current pace (presuming no fade. Yeah, like that's gonna happen): 4 Hours 8 minutes. Playlist: The Cranberries.