It’s inevitable, some day it’s bound to happen. You might have a mental lapse of judgement during a race, or might not have trained up to your potential. You might (like me) just be getting older, slower, less focused on “the time” and more focused on “the finish”. We all as runners want to do our personal best, we all want to set goals, train for, and then meet them.
This preamble leads me to a very cute story and an awakening of sorts…let me explain…
While running the Creemore Vertical Challenge 25k trial run this past year, I heard for the first time the term “Chicked”. Now, this is a term used to describe “the act of getting passed by a stronger runner, who just also happens to be a woman”. In this specific case, I was passed by my buddy’s girlfriend ( who in my defense is half my age, and runs like a gazelle ). Let’s call her “Catherine”…and yes, that is her real name.
Now Catherine had never run this race before and I give her all kinds of props for running on that specific day as the course was very muddy and technical…lots of steep single track, mostly up hill…some back roads and open fields…a small creek, in fact, if truth be told, she almost backed out of the race because the footing on the course when it is in perfect condition is a bit iffy, and it had poured rain an hour before the race, making the single track a slippery, muddy, mess.
I was feeling pretty good that day, I had a really good run, and in fact, had shaved about 14min. off my best time, running this race three times before. Having said that…here’s what happened.
So when my buddy, “Conar”… yes that’s his real name…so when I came up to the 21k aid station, Conar was volunteering at this station. I had asked Conar how Catherine was doing…his response was “ya, she’s already through, you’ve been “Chicked” by her, I laughed an awkward laugh and trying to stay positive, I said, “good on her” and continued to run the final 4k of the race… I was really OK with it…honest, and let me tell you why.
There are some awesome runners out there who I marvel at …both male and female. The runners who run so fast that by the time I am half way through a marathon, they are finishing, doing a victory lap, and enjoying the spoils of being first at the food table.
I know I am never going to be that fast…truth be told, the average male runner has been “Chicked” every race they have ever run unless they are at the front of the pack.
So take from this blog a lesson on both humility and reality…and I say “Bravo Ladies…Bravo”.