Spring Chicken

This past Saturday I was talking to another runner after the PA DUI Association 10K race about running in general. One concern I had was how much, if any, water or fluids should you consume for a race of ten kilometers. There were two water stops for this race, and I only took water at the second water stop. He recommended taking water at each water stop to avoid dehydration.

I mentioned I had only started running last year and had set a new personal 10K (=6.2 miles)  record at the PA DUI Assn race. Most runners fall into two categories, those who have been running since they were in high school and those who have recently become runners. My frustration with becoming good enough to win a medal at a race is I am competing against former high school and college track and field standouts.

If a person has been running since high school, he or she is keenly aware of how much slower they have become over the years. An older veteran runner would have to classify their personal race records into pre-Master (40 years old) and post Master's time frames in order to maintain their competitive edge or desires.

The interesting perspective, which emanated from a veteran runner, was I had an advantage as a relative running newbie at my age because I had fresh legs. I  have not accumulated the stresses associated with hundreds of training and racing miles upon my legs.  I am a year or two or three away from reaching the apex of my running abilities. In this case,  being a running spring chicken  may be beneficial in both the short and long term.