. . . when you begin
I can still truthfully call myself a turtle. I am faster, but I am still not fast, and feel no need to change my slogan:
An older, slower runner with a passion for chocolate and half marathons.
In the beginning . . .
. . . almost every runner thinks they’re slow. Most are afraid to join groups because they are afraid of being too slow, being last, getting lost. Even fast runners feel this way. Slower runners, though, get it: this fear is legitimate for them.
I once made a friend because I joined a group run and we lost the pack — and just plain got lost. Did I mention it was dark and cold, too? She could have easily kept up with the pack, but I couldn’t. If some kind runners hadn’t come and run us back in we might still be there today.
Eventually, though, most of us either lose our fear of being last or embrace it, if not actually welcome it, if it happens to us. We fall in love with running — could take days, months, or possibly years. But we do. And if running at the back of the pack is our fate, we may or may not accept that it will stay that way, but we accept that that is where we’ll end up.
Watching your fast friends struggle
Because of blogging I’ve somehow ended up with a lot of fast running friends. They don’t think they’re fast, of course, because few runners do, but to me they most definitely are.
I’ve also watched many of them begin to struggle. And most of the ones struggling have been running far longer than I have. The reasons for their struggles vary, but it’s hard for them to see the paces that once seemed so easy now feel so hard . . . or slip away altogether.
I started out late in life, and I started out so slow, and I’ve been lucky to see improvement when it comes to pace. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had my own struggles, and it doesn’t mean there won’t be struggles ahead for me, either.
But when you start out slow, it’s “easier” to see improvement. Not easy, of course, you still have to work for it, but there’s a feeling of you have nowhere to go but up (or down, in your times, that is). Since my first half (throwing out the trail half), I have lowered my time by almost 40 minutes.
It didn’t happen immediately (nope, been running halfs for five years), it wasn’t linear, and there was a lot of hard work in there, too.
Turtle Power
Runner friends say all the time that pace is relative, and this is true. Yet they look to their competition, hoping for that age group award. They rejoice when they enter a new age group, because their chances for those age group awards go up. Turtles can only look to themselves, hoping to better themselves.
There can be a lot of power in truly only competing with yourself. Age groups don’t matter, unless maybe it’s a very small race (and even then, I’ve personally never even come close to an age group award). And sometimes there’s also a lot less pressure to perform those paces that are slowly slipping through your fingers.
We turtles work just as hard as the hares. We sweat as much, we’re often pounding the pavement for far longer, and we keep coming back for more despite the lack of awards (but not lack of rewards).
Turtle Power doesn’t mean giving in or giving up
There may be a certain freedom and power in being a turtle, but that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily doomed to be a turtle forever. Your time as a turtle will make you even more appreciative of improving — anything you have to work for so hard is sweeter.
Don’t get me wrong, it is not my intent to disrespect the hares, either. They work as hard as the turtles do, and it has to be very difficult to accept declining race/pace times. No doubt some day I’ll struggle with that same problem.
I can’t say that I love being a turtle, but the large improvements I’ve seen over the years? Gotta love that.
This week I am also joining up with Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs each week for the Coaches’ Corner linkup
Talk to me:
Did you start out as a turtle? If so, do you still consider yourself a turtle?
How do you keep yourself motivated when you don’t see improvement?
How do you come to terms with declining paces?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
I think we all feel like we started out as turtles… what really is a sign of dedication if you keep running, even if you don’t get much faster, don’t you think?
Of course, we all worry about pace… and why shouldn’t we? We wanna see improvement, but in the end, it’s like you said, we can only compete with ourselves.
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Well, trust me, some of us actually ARE turtles!
I think for me, it just came down to a total conviction that I *could* run faster. Took me many years to prove it, but it did happened — you just have to believe!
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I. Love. This. POST!!! All the yes, Judy! Proud Turtle here- always have been, always will be. And I’m ok with it. 😉
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I never thought I was a fast runner when I first started. But when I joined a running group and was able to hang with the best of them that really gave me a boost of confidence. I know I won’t always be fast and that’s ok. I run because I love sport, not because of the pace I run.
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No one ever seems to think they’re fast. But sometimes when you start out fast, it can actually be harder to see as much improvement — although that’s not necessarily the case, either.
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Love this! While I’ve never been what I would consider fast but I was faster than I am now and it is hard to see those paces slowing down. On the flip side, I really think I could be faster with a ton of speedwork training, which at my age, would only cause more injury. So, I’m content to be a slower runner …as long as I’m still running. Turtle Power …I like it!!
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To me you’re still fast! I know it’s all relative, but the truth is most of the people who comment on my blog are way faster than me.
Anyway, you’ve got Coach Hoho on your side. She gets results. 🙂
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You’re right, it is all relative. I try not to whine too much about slowing down because I know how it makes me feel when those much faster than me whine about their slower paces which are still way faster than mine. 😉
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I really struggle when I blog, about writing a “fast run” and not adding (for me), but seriously, a fast run for me is glacially slow for most of the bloggers I know!
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As you said, speed is subjective (I’m sort of paraphrasing LOL). The comparison thing is evil, but it’s always there whether we are aware of it or not. And the older age group thing is not always a means to an award….one time, in a new “older” AG, I ran a 5-mile race faster than I had in previous years (and had received a 2nd place AG award). In my new AG, though, I finished in 5th place (even with a faster time than before). Some of those “old ladies” are hard core. It all depends on who else shows up on race day 😉
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It definitely does mater on who shows up — but for some of us, OTOH, it doesn’t. Unless no one in our AG shows up. 🙂
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I definitely started out as a turtle and honestly, even though my paces have increased, I still feel like a turtle. haha I think I will totally be okay with paces slowing as long as I’m still able to get out there and do what I love. Losing that due to injury is such a hard pill to swallow and I’m so cautious now that I’m probably destined to be a turtle forever. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that! I don’t aspire to be that hare and run those blistering paces!
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I just don’t care about my pace enough to do the work it would take to get faster! I did track workouts last year and that knocked my pace down a lot, and I’ve been able to keep it steady with OTF, but I don’t do all the special types of runs.
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Coco, you are damn fast. And you also work & travel like a maniac. It’s impressive how much you work out around that schedule!
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I have never been what anyone would consider fast but I have been a lot faster than I am now. This year I have really struggled with my pace. I have come to really not care as much as I used to. I just keep moving forward and doing what I love to do.
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Moving forward & loving what you do are the most important things.
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I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older and more consistent in my mileage, I’m not really getting faster, but I am becoming stronger. And I’m fine with that, most of the time. Every once in a while I try to find my old speed and promptly get my butt handed to me.
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I’m pretty sure I’m never going to be fast, although of course no runner ever thinks they are. But starting later in life has allowed me to get faster longer than some of my fast friends (if that makes sense).
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