Why I love races

I still remember doing my first race 2.5 years ago. It was a Duathlon which consisted of a 2KM run, 30 KM bike and then a 7 KM run. Having never competed in anything like this before I went into the race with only one goal.....finish!

Leading up to that race I had injured my ankle so bad that I could hardly train for the month leading up to the race. The race was on a Sunday and on the Saturday I purchased an ankle brace to see if I could put any weight on it. I found that more frustrating than helpful so I decided not to use it. I kept putting off my decision to race or not and decided to see how it was on the morning of the race. Somehow when I got up on Sunday my ankle was better. Not great mind you but well enough for me to at least put some weight on it.

The only training I could do leading up to that race because of the injury was some light biking. This didn't put much pressure on my ankle so I was able to at least do something.

Running, however, is a different animal and the impact that it has on your body can be tough. Some injuries I'm able to run through but this one I wasn't.

When I got up that Sunday morning and knew that I would be able to race I couldn't get the smile off of my face. It was a long drive to Orillia but I remember thinking about how lucky I was to be able to run again.

That first race experience is something that I'll never forget and I can still see the course in my mind today. I met so many amazing people along the way and that's part of what happens on race day. You get to run with people who all understand how important running is to them. There are people from all different shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities. There are people who are running with a baby stroller to people running side by side one another talking along the way.

Races give you a chance to fully experience what it means to be a "runner." NO you don't HAVE to enter a race to be called a runner but if you get a chance to enter a race, even if it's just one, I strongly suggest you do so. You won't regret the decision and you'll always remember the experience.