Tag Archives: Running

4 Reasons NOT to PR a race

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

PR or PB are words you will here in the running community all the time.  PR is a Personal Record and PB is a Personal Best.  I remember getting wrapped up in this idea until the last few years.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about setting, achieving and surpassing goals… but sometimes, it’s just not necessary.  Here are some of my reasons for not PRing a race in no particular order:

  1. Because you have a different goal and learned a lesson from a previous race.  Sometimes your goal in a race is not about having a personal record. For example, I purposely ran the Cedar City Half Marathon slower this year than I did last year. Why? Because last year I was sore for an entire week due to the dowhill and altitude change.  My goal for this race this year was not to be as sore.  I’m happy to report that I enjoyed the race AND I was sore for a few days instead of a week.
  2. Because it’s just another training run.  Depending on your running level, races are a good way to get in a training run and get some swag at the same time.  When I’m training for a half or full marathon, I’ll seek out some races that might be the  length I need as opposed to doing a “regular” training run in the same place.  Even though I pay for a race and not a training run, I get to run with different runners, get a cool shirt and medal just for a training run.
  3. Because you are running with a friend.  Running is a great social sport.  I love running with my friends. I’ve “ran” into friends at races that I haven’t seen in awhile and I choose to run with them for company rather than worry about the race.  OR you might have a friend who is doing their first event and you want to be part of their experience.
  4. Because you just don’t need to add that kind of pressure (or resistance).  The thought of having to do better than last time, sometimes can mess with your head.  This causes mental tension which causes physical tension and just can overall ruin your race experience.  You have the power to make that choice.  It’s that simple.  I blogged about this on the ChiRunning website last year when I described my experience at the Women’s Half Marathon.   I purposely ran a race without my GPS.
  5. Because you just want to have fun!  There may be a time to race for you but ultimately, when running isn’t fun anymore, what’s the point?  Seriously, sometimes we just need to get out of our heads and enjoy life. One of the many things I’ve learned from ChiRunning and meditation is to enjoy the present moment.  So instead of worrying about your time, enjoy the scenery, talk to a new person running next to you, and thank the volunteers and people cheering along the road for being there.

Bottom line, it’s your running story and you can do whatever you want!

Please comment below if you have any other reasons not to PR a race. Help me inspire other people to enjoy running for the fun sport that it is!

From My Running Story to Yours….

(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

My 1st Trail Run in OH

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

One of my favorite things to do is explore new places.  And now that I’m a runner (still find it hard to call myself that but since I’m a running coach and I run, I guess I’m a runner!), I love to run in new places.

My boyfriend and I are in the middle of a two week road trip to OH.  As soon as I knew the dates, I looked up a race to do here right away.  I found the 10 mile Chippewa Creek Trail Challenge from the Dirty Trail Race Series. Since I love trail running and 10 miles is a good long distance run for me, I signed up….and so glad that I did!  It was the most beautiful run that I’ve done so far!

I’ll admit I was a bit nervous being in a new place but the gorgeous scenery calmed me down right away.  I stopped and took a few photos that you can see below.  It was just such a nice change from the AZ desert scenery.  I had my MP3 player just in case since I didn’t know anyone at this race to talk to (I mainly run with my friends and chatting helps the time go by).  The scenery was so pretty that I couldn’t even think of replacing the sound of my footsteps on the trail, the birds chirping and just the sounds of nature with music. It surprised me how many people were listening to music but then again, this was their “regular” scenery.

The other few things that cracked me up was the fact that it was 62 degrees when I started at 8am (I could actually sleep in!), I had my arm warmers on the entire time, and I had my sunglasses on my head ready to put them on (I can’t run in AZ without my sunglasses) and I never had to use them…..the trees in the forest covered most of the run.

I thought for sure that I would be last since there seemed to be some “competitive” people but I wasn’t…still not ashamed to post that I was 7 of 10 women in my age group, 50 of 58 women, and 120 of 134 runners.  I did average a 12:23 pace finishing at 2:03:49.  My “goal” was 2 hours so I’m happy with my results…although this race was so much more than just my results.

Besides the scenery and the results, this also happened to be my virtual Hangover Run for Will Run for Bling and Charity.  Love this idea!  You can see my bib below…more importantly my race entry fee is helping the Lupus Foundation of America.

Check out my 1:42 minute video clip 😉

My boyfriend captured this classic shot of me being silly 😉
part of the gorgeous scenery
such a beautiful trail!
couldn’t help but stop to capture a few photos
even some pretty flowers

So when is the last time you visited another town and ran a race?  or had a first time experience that you really enjoyed?

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Purposely run a race Garmin-free?

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

What? Purposely run a race Garmin-free?
In November 2012, I decided to do something CRAZY. I purposely chose to run the Women’s Half Marathon in Phoenix without my Garmin!  CRAZY, right?! Here’s why…

Well, for starters, this was my 3rd year running this race. Since it’s been the same course, last year I was dead set on having a PR (personal record). It was probably the worst race I ever ran. Did I achieve the PR? Yes, I did. As much as I am proud of that, it was a miserable race. All I kept doing the entire time during this race was check my GPS, making sure that I was staying ahead of my last PR. I hurried through water stations and mentally and physically pushed myself so hard that I did not enjoy the race at all. Plus, I was really sore a few days after, which told me I was not focusing on my ChiRunning form either.

It was a tough decision, which I did not make until the day before the 2012 race, but I decided to leave my Garmin at home this year. IT WAS ONE OF MY BEST RACES EVER! And, I had another PR!

As I had a chance to reflect on my race, here is what I have learned:

• Being in the present moment, as opposed to worrying about the final outcome, is a wonderful place to be. I have learned this through ChiRunning but also with my daily meditation practice (not only has meditation improved my life, but also my ChiRunning). It’s really true when they say; “it’s about the journey, not the destination.” I focused on my form continuously and enjoyed every single moment. I thanked the volunteers, police officers, and spectators. I took in the beautiful weather and scenery that we have here in Arizona.

• Relaxation truly is the key. Since I was so relaxed mentally, this translated into physical relaxation. I stayed relaxed the entire time, even up the hills towards the end of the course. I stayed focused on my form and continually focused on my breathing to stay relaxed. I was shocked when I wasn’t sore one bit the next day!

• It’s not always about the numbers. When you are measuring something, it means you are going to do better or worse. What happens if we don’t improve? We tend to beat ourselves up which is not a good place to be. And what about those things that aren’t measurable? Like the beautiful scenery or those moments when you get to run with a friend you haven’t seen in awhile?
My bottom line:

Sure it’s great to push yourself to reach new goals in your running practice, but please don’t forget the reason why you run. One of the elements I love most about ChiRunning is having constant “AHA” moments. Not only “AHA” moments that affect your run, but more importantly that can be translated into your everyday life.

So try it one day:  let go of tracking your miles, your pace, or distance on your next run.

Purposely run a race Garmin-free?

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)