FitVIEW
Challenge Yourself
By Efren Martinez
These days you can just about run a race every weekend. Ten years ago, when I picked up running, I used to have to wait months before my next race. Races were few and far between. I remember my first race. It was in September of 2005 at the YMCA. Back then I was much heavier, with only 9 months of gung-ho fitness in me. Training for it took months, and in fact I remember running the course prior with my wife driving ahead of me in her 1966 VW Bug and my dog, Buffy, who never took her eyes off of me through the back window. I was new to running, so it was a safety thing to make sure that if I keeled over, Buffy would let my wife know.
Looking back on my training for that race, I can’t help but think that it probably wasn’t such a good idea to be following my wife in her bug. The exhaust from her Volkswagen just about killed me. Perhaps this is why my little dog watched me so close; she was very smart. Needless to say, it worked out very well and I ended up placing 3rd in my age group for that race. Since then, I’ve just about run every local race numerous times. Within the last year, I have made it a point to re-enlighten my running experience and challenge myself. I’ve done this by looking for a few other races out of our community. I’ve made some great friends across our state. When you run a race you’ve never run before, it’s a lot more interesting. For one, you have no idea what your competition looks like, nor do you have any advantage of knowing how the course is. When you are familiar with a course you’re able to calculate how hard you need to push or descend your run per the course. Sure it’s an advantage for racing, but after running the same race multiple times, it loses some of its excitement. This is why I’ve turned to the hills, or should I say mountains. When you trail race in the mountains you’re continuously surrounded by cool weather and nature’s beauty. Your challenge level goes up 10 fold.
The uneven ground and continuous uphill/downhill trails certainly put a spin on everything. If you’re not acclimated to running at higher altitudes where the air is thinner, your race becomes that much harder. It’s a test that will benefit you the next time you race in the city or especially along the coast. On Saturday, July 11th, the Christian Berets are having their annual Mi-Wuk Fun Run and Walk with a 5k & 1 mile. I invite you to experiment with your fitness self and make a family day of it with the picnic following the race. This run will give you a fitness challenge and conditioning, as well as that feeling of remembrance of why you enjoy running so much.
Mi-Wuk Fun Run & Walk
Saturday, July 11
8:00am – 1:00pm
Christian Berets Camp
24884 Highway 108
MiWuk Village, CA 95346
Proceeds to benefit our friends with special needs.
Register here www.christianberets.org/mi-wuk-fun-run.html
