277. How often should you be racing? Do you even need to race?

As we gear up for the spring racing season it might seem like everyone is out there racing. How often should you race? Do you even need to race? There are a lot of questions you might have about racing, but it is not something we talk about frequently enough in the running world. Some athletes appear to race almost every weekend. How is it possible? Before we answer that question it is important to define your goals and then label each race as priority for performance or not. We can’t be in peak shape all year round. Not every race has to be an A race. You don’t always have to run a race to be a ‘real runner’ or prove your fitness. Some people like racing others don’t. Don’t let other people define your goals for you.

What is the purpose of racing?

Test fitness

Fun

Competition

Community/support others

Habit

How do you define your goals as a runner

Performance goals

Community goals

Longevity goals

Does racing help or hurt your long term goals?

A. B. C races

You have to actually train. You can’t always test

What if you don’t like to race

Do you actually not like it or do you just get nervous..? Even if you hit your goal time, do you still not care?