For those not familiar with the traditional concept: A-races are the meaning of your life, all you train for. B-races are as important as ice-cream after a training - nice, but you can do without. With C-races it's okay to stay in bed when it rains. Which, for most of you in Western Europe, has been a returning excuse those last few weeks.
Why? Last Saturday, I had a blast at a race the size of peanut and as important as the news in a glossy magazine. Despite 2 hours of mountainbiking in the morning, I decided to run a local 5K race in the evening. A hilly course (yes, there are hills in the Netherlands!) , which would be a good training for Kilsbergen Triathlon, but most of all, I'd promised to be there to catch up with an old friend.
In the queue to the registration, someone hands me a voucher worth one race entry. I don't know why and I don't ask. I feel lucky already. I am overjoyed to reconnect with my friend, whom I met on an amazing, stunningly beautiful trek in Nepal. We share many great experiences, from food poisoning to a helicopter rescue (I can recommend being careful with both, their safety standards really are different from ours).
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| European standards really are different from those in Nepal. Photo courtesy M. Merkelbach |
Anyway, she will run 15K, my start is 20 minutes later. The route is partly off-road, winds through the sleepy village and then back up a short but steep hill. Locals are cheering along the way, runners greet their neighbours and in general, everyone seems to know everyone else. It's fun and I feel strong, but I avoid Big Pains. The final hill is tough, I keep telling myself that this is still flat compared to ... well, any country other than the Netherlands. After 4.5K, I see my biggest fan Eric who tells me I am 2nd woman and 15th overall. After 20m37s I cross the finish line with a big smile.
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| One of the biggest trophies I ever won :). |
We can't decide whether we want pancakes, apple pie or some of the alcoholfree beer they sell, so we go for coffee.
I often catch myself thinking that all races are an A-race - and that only 'big' and 'tough' races count as A-races. I am disappointed if (when) I don't perform as expected. Even though my body should theoretically be able to run faster, my mind doesn't follow. Instead I think of work, the book I am reading - a thriller about a boy who gets lost in a forest, as a result I am now afraid of running in the dark- and of the apple pie at the finish line. As if others wouldn't take me serious if I admit I actually like those small, unimportant races. As if I feel I am not a real triathlete when I admit I like the speed and intensity of the Olympic Distance. Not to mention the fact that you don't have to wait 11 hours before you get to shower. While others sign up for Ironmans and ultra-marathons and enduro marathons, I run a 5K. And how I love it!
Not all races are A-races. Perhaps I should have only A-races and U-races - unimportant races. Or A-races and LOL-races. Goal: to have fun while training. Cramps in my stomach, but from laughing too much. It doesn't mean those races aren't hard. But just like your brain can't handle all the information in a Chinese whisper, it can't handle more than 3 A-races per year. It won't allow you to push your body as far as you do in an A-race. There is a good reason for that - mental burnouts, overtraining and your partner leaving you because of overobsession with your sport. So enjoy all those B- and C-races (or U- and LOL-races), have a beer and apple pie afterwards. Laugh with friends and stay in bed when it rains.
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