Running rivals
Ha, I love reading running studies and the conclusions they make. The most recent one I read is “To Run Faster, Get a Rival,” (pdf here). Who are these rivals? People similar in age and gender, who finish in around a 9 sec per mile average kilometer pace to your pace (at mostly local races). And as the title gives away, the article’s conclusion is that, “we race faster when one or more people we regularly finish near are in the race.” Definitely faster when one rival is there, but even faster when more rivals are there, or your top rival.
Hee hee. This article made me giggle. Because it’s not very true for me, and because I know it’s SO true for many people. It just depends on the type of runner you are!
I am not a very competitive runner. At the 10K I did a week and a half ago, I encouraged a person I figured to be in my age group as she passed me. She ended up getting second place (the last position to get medals) in front of me. Was I upset? Nah. She was in much better shape than me – she was sprinting up the hills then waiting for the rest of her crew to catch up. The race appeared easy for her. I was excited to see her take on the hills with such gusto! Maybe if I recognized her from previous races as a rival I would have sped up? Nah, I knew I didn’t have a chance.
Now, I did sprint to the finish line so I wouldn’t get passed in the last .1 mile of that race (image below)! So I am not very competitive, but I apparently don’t like to get passed right at the finish. Ha ha. And I had no idea what age group that person was in behind me (turns out she was in the next age group).
But overall, I am not one to care about finish times or ranking. A lot of people I know are really in to the Strava app because of the segment feature – a chance to ride/run/whatever someone else’s route and see if you are faster than them and claim “King of the Mountain.” I think that is cool and fun for the people who get excitement out of that! But it’s not for me.
So… I don’t think I run faster around what this article describes as my rivals – I don’t even think I’ve noticed seeing the same faces in my age group from race to race (I have noticed people in other age groups though). However… the 25-29 female age group doesn’t seem to be super competitive. Maybe I’ll see a change when I get in to the 30-34.
You know what does make me run races faster? Running with a faster friend, or someone who is pacing me. Or if it’s a rare instance where I have a goal pace in mind.
What about you? Do you have local running “rivals”?
I did think it was interesting that the opening line of the article brought up using this study as an excuse to why you did bad at an out of town race – ha ha – your normal rivals aren’t there!
Themocracy
I am like you and not competitive! I do think having a running friend to train with who can run a bit faster than you helps out a lot.
Totally! I ran with someone faster than me for a lot of the fall and I think that helped with my Nov marathon PR! (cause I sure as hell didn’t do any speedwork. Ha!
This may come as no surprise to you… I have rivals. Some of them are friends. Some of them are strangers. As long as I do my best, I don’t get bent out of shape coming in after them. Except the “I Beat You” Guy. He beat me at the Gospel Run fair and square. I was pissed. LOL.
I was thinking about you and the “I Beat You” Guy when I read this entry. Did he say “I beat you” after the Gospel Run? You’ll beat him next time! 🙂
It may come as not to surprise to you… that I had you and “I Beat You” Guy in mind when I wrote this! 🙂 Bummer that he beat you recently!
Yep, I’m like you too and not competitive with running. I used to be really competitive and that sometimes kept me from doing things. Now I’d rather do things for fun even if I’m no where close to “winning.” I agree that running with a slightly faster friend or trying for a PR helps me go faster.
I don’t have any running rivals, and that “rivals” feature on Athlinks (where they list people near your pace/age) kind of stresses me out. That being said, I think I talk a lot about being competitive with people, especially ones who have gotten just a tad faster than me recently (which, of course, is everyone). I was running with a friend, who is faster but completely non-competitive, and she told someone else that I was really competitive. I felt bad about. 🙁 Maybe everyone is secretly my rival and I don’t even notice that I’m doing it!
I didn’t even know about that on Athlinks (of course, it would help if I logged on to it and looked around).
Why did it make you feel bad? Cause you have negative connotations with the idea of being competitive? I have noticed you talking about other people being faster too, but I never thought you were cut-throat. LOL!
I’m mainly competitive with myself but I do have a couple of folks here I’m friendly competitive with. I can see how spotting your rival during a race might help you kick it a little faster but I think training with slightly faster peeps would make a bigger difference long run (ha)
I had a rival when I was in high school. We raced cross country and some local road races against each other. I’m not sure if they saw me as a rival or if she was just mean to everyone. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it to you before – this girl used to step on the backs of shoes and throw elbows when she passed! Not just me either! I only beat her at two races that I recall in cross country but one of those was the state meet!
My mom used to have a rival when she ran back when I was in high school. I’m not sure if that actually made her run faster but she would always notice that this woman was in her age group and would run a lot of the same races and beat her by just a little. I think it’s easier to find a rival when you live in a small town. The races near DC seem so huge and diverse that it’s difficult to single anyone out.
I do remember you telling me about her! I wonder if that is pretty typical for high school kids in XC!
No “rivals” really, but I do always say that if you want to get better workout with people better than you. When I was into swimming I wanted to swim with people better than me, same with Crossfit and running. It really works because you push harder to keep up!
I am super competitive in general, but not so much when it comes to running. I know I am just not that fast and I just don’t enjoy that feeling of pushing myself so hard that I feel like puking. I do like placing, and I like setting PR’s, but I am just as happy if I feel like I ran my best that day. It is interesting doing triathlons however, where your age is written on your calf. If I see someone isn’t in my age group, I am much less likely to try to pass them.
I think “your best that day” is a very good attitude to have. But yeah, they should do this study about triathletes! Cause it does bring something out of you to see that AG written out!
I definitely don’t have rivals but if you get on the treadmill next to me at the gym we are racing!!
The 30-34 age group in Chicago races is SO competitive! I never even have a chance against the leaders and those tend to be the only people I recognize at races 🙂 So, no, I don’t have rivals that I see at races that make me run faster. Sometimes I get a little down about myself when I see people who are close in age to me who haven’t been running as long who get faster but then I remember that I’m not putting the time/energy into getting faster anymore and I get over it!
Yeah, and some people are just naturally faster!
Kelly and I did a least a couple races where we finished within seconds of each other. At one, she finished ahead of me and placed in our AG, at the other, I finished a few seconds ahead of her and placed in our AG. Neither of us cared when the other “beat” us, we were both happy for each other when the other placed! Then I turned 30 and we were no longer in the same AG, and life took over and we haven’t run many races together since. Just the Shamrock Shuffle, although this year we did “fun” pace.
No rivals for me. Well, just me. 😉
There is one woman I’ve seen at 3 different races. She finished just behind me once, just in front of me the second time, and the third time, I “crushed” her. Sad part? She’s 30 years older than I am and has no idea I have this “rivalry” with her. ROFL
This totally cracks me up, because there is a lady 20+ years old than me in my running club who was super mad I beat her by a minute or less at a race once. 😉