Well, it happened.. a trail run that I didn't consider fun (during or after). My first trail race that I left feeling defeated....So, I had to stop and ask myself what was different about this one? No other trail race has ever left me feeling defeated... so .. what was different about this one...
And it comes down (I'm pretty sure) to one thing....
I set a timed goal (gasp!). Yep, for the first time with trail running, I set a goal for the race. (which is what I used to basically do with every road race I ran. There was usually always some type of goal. If I reached that goal, I felt elated. If I didn't reach that goal, I felt defeated).
Well, duh, that's what happened on the Ironmasters Challenge 15K. I went into it with wanting to get a certain time, instead of going into the race to enjoy the experience and the accomplishment of finishing.
So when I fell (yeah, I fell). And let me tell you, falling alone on the trail feels much different than falling in front of a group of people (where you were actually leading the way). Not the race of course, but that group of people, where at some point they all passed me! In the past, getting passed on the trail didn't make me feel defeated or anything like that, but this time, it did. As each of those people passed me, I began to focus on how far I was slipping behind instead of the beautiful scenery around me.
I wonder how much I missed by focusing on a timed goal instead of what was happening around me?
I don't intend on letting that happen again - not with any type of race. Not saying that I shouldn't ever set goals for myself, but when I personally let those goals dictate my outcome, running stops being fun for me. And trust me, been there done that - and that's somewhere that I don't want to go again!
So, I'm glad I did the Ironmasters 15k. It was a tough course. It was a beautiful day. I finished.
And my (affiliate link) high five skirt from Skirt Sports was awesome.
And afterward, I put on my (affiliate link) triks original gym girl skirt and headed out to a bday party with the family.
I try to learn something from every race that I do... and from this one.. I learned that I need to enjoy the journey and not allow myself to get hung up on 1 particular goal that day...
In the end.. once I processed everything... I found my smile again...
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