Fitness: Now that you’re running, here are 5 reasons to join a race

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If the prolonged closure of gyms and recreational facilities during the first waves of COVID-19 made you a corridor, you are not alone. A recent Run repeat A survey of 3,961 runners reported that 28 percent made their first jog during the pandemic.

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The accessibility and simplicity of running make it especially apt for a pandemic, despite the challenge new runners face when it comes to finding their rhythm. But by now, most novice runners are up for a new challenge: race day.

On hiatus during the spring and fall of 2020, most of the community road races went virtual in 2021. But all signs point towards a return to in-person events in 2022, which is a big thing. news for runners who love to don a racing bib.

Why compete? It’s fun. And not only for those who are at the forefront of the group.

Runners of all shapes, sizes, and speeds are well represented in any race. The events themselves also look and feel a bit different, offering a variety of distances (5K, 10K, 21K, 42K) through a variety of routes (flat, hilly, urban, off-road). It is true that some races have a more competitive field than others, but there is always a special atmosphere in the crowd of the last ones, so don’t think that races are limited to the fast ones. The fact is that most runners are more interested in competing against themselves than against the former, which is why road races are so satisfying. Setting a goal and achieving it never goes out of style.

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Still not convinced? Here are five more reasons to sign up for a race this spring.

Run with a sense of purpose

With your well-established running routine and a strong foundation of endurance under your belt, training for a race brings a fresh focus to your career. Choose a race location (see canadarunningseries.com for a race near you) and a distance, set a goal of time and pace, and spend the next several months training your body to cross the finish line.

Giving each run a purpose, whether it’s tackling hills, increasing speed, adding distance, or shaking tired muscles, will not only diversify your workouts, but will keep your mind and body joyfully engaged in the process.

Stay motivated during the long winter months.

Spring is the busiest time of year on the racing calendar, which means that most of your training will take place during the winter. With only a few months to get in the type needed to maintain your target pace, you’ll find yourself gladly lacing up your running shoes on days when everyone else is drinking hot cocoa at home. When you focus on your progress and weekly training goals, the winter months fly by, which is useful when the long, cold season seems to stop once the holidays are over.

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Test your mettle

Sometimes it takes a challenge to see what you are made of. And when it comes to running, that challenge is race day. Suddenly there’s a reason to push your body a little harder, adding distance and speed to your workouts to see how far and how fast you can go. New riders have plenty of room for improvement, so don’t underestimate your ability to meet the challenge. Just be sure to spread out plenty of active rest days between hard workouts.

Get faster

I’m not going to lie: being faster requires work and tolerance to run at an intensity that is uncomfortable. So having a specific goal, like a goal for race day, makes the extra effort easy. Most runners will tell you that signing up for a race was the necessary impetus to improve their speed, something they wouldn’t have done without the added incentive. And the good news is that once the pace picks up, it can be sustained with much less effort than it took to acquire it. Plus, it feels good to know that there is an untapped source of speed at the bottom of every runner that can be accessed with the right motivation and training.

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Lean on a new culture

If you’ve never been in a road race as a competitor before, you’re in luck. The energy created by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of runners, all in the same place, ignites your competitive spirit and at the same time initiates that fluttering sensation in your stomach that indicates a release of adrenaline. Then there’s the all-too-predictable position play within the group before the start, followed by the initial burst of speed as the race begins. After that, the corridors begin to adapt, or not.

Every race has a handful of runners pushing too hard, too early, and then suffering as they approach the finish line. As in all races, there is someone in costume, someone pushing a stroller, and someone running in memory of a loved one. The common denominator is that they are all runners, no matter what they wear, how fast they run, or where they start and finish in the peloton.