Racing, Is It a Risk or an Opportunity?

I was disappointed yesterday to see that Ryan Hall has decided to pull out of next weekend’s Chicago Marathon, stating he didn’t feel he was ready for the type of performance he wanted. While I can certainly understand the expectations he has placed on him, probably none higher than the ones he has for himself, I still think it’s the wrong approach to pull out of a race just because you don’t feel like you’re ready to set the world on fire. After all, Hall announced he would be running Chicago prior to running Boston back in the spring, so this has been on his agenda for a long time and he has spent the better part of the year training for it.

In fact, that could be part of the problem. When he announced he would be running Chicago, he came right out and said he would be shooting to break the American record. That’s a lot of pressure to assume right from the start. When you make a statement like that, then notice that you’re maybe not in good enough shape to follow through on it, you put yourself in a bad position. All of a sudden, your goal becomes more of a burden than a motivational tool.

At any rate, I’ve always liked Ryan Hall and I’m certainly not in any position to give him advice, but I think he needs to start racing more often and learn you don’t have to win or set a record every time you step to the line. I read an article just this week regarding how Alberto Salazar feels like that’s a major lesson he’s had to teach Alan Webb. He wants him to run more races, some of which are way outside his best distance, so he learns to race and even so he learns to lose. That way he will feel more comfortable and have less pressure when he does step to the line at his primary distance and/or in a major competition. “It does not have to be every time Alan Webb goes on the track, he sets a record.” Salazar said in the article. “It’s O.K. to lose. You manage stress that way.” This is why you saw Webb running a 1:52 800m earlier this season. I’m sure he and Salazar knew that wasn’t his best distance and he wasn’t fit enough to run anywhere near his 1:43 PR, but it was part of the process of getting back to the top. In the past, running that slow might have embarrassed Webb and messed with his psyche, causing him to withdraw from other races and/or run himself into the ground in training trying to get back in shape quickly. Salazar is trying to change that thought pattern and teach Webb that everything, good days and bad, is part of the process.

Winning races and running fast is the ultimate goal, but you can learn and accomplish a lot from racing even when you know you probably won’t be at your best. I know that’s a problem I’ve had with my own running in the past and a mistake I don’t want to make again. I’ve touched on this before, but there was a time when I was really, really fit, yet ducked a lot of bigger races because I didn’t feel like I was “ready.” In other words, I probably could have run fast and likely even set a PR, but because I didn’t feel like I was ready to achieve my ultimate goal of say breaking 15 min for 5k, I chose to run smaller races, training through them, or not to race at all, in an attempt to get my fitness to some point where I felt like I could have a huge breakthrough. Unfortunately I wasted a lot of opportunities to race (and have fun), and if I’d rested a little and taken some shots, who knows. I might just have had that breakthrough I was looking for. Instead, I’ll never know because I chose not to take a chance, afraid I would disappoint myself and those around me.

So there’s my lesson for the day for myself and anyone reading this. Set goals and work hard to achieve them, but be sure to take some shots, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and above all have fun with it. There are no risks on the starting line of a race, only opportunities!