Size Doesn't Matter

It's great participating in those huge events with tens of thousands of people. Runners move along the course taking in the cheers from the adoring crowd of supporters. You can brag do your family, friends, and co-workers about how you ran the ---big city name here--- marathon that they'd heard so much about in the news. The glory is yours. It is a great feeling.

Not only are there the high profile marathons you here about constantly, there are many smaller events and runs that you probably haven't heard of. If you are considering running a race of any distance, you may want to explore the path less traveled. Check out what some of the lower profile runs have to offer.

Someone recently asked me what it was like after I ran 26 miles while training for a 50K run. I replied, "It was like running a marathon, but without the glory." It was funny. My friend laughed. But, it wasn't true. There was glory. There was a whole hell of a lot of glory. Personal Glory. That is about as low profile a run as you can get. I felt so pumped on adrenaline it was like I had conquered the world. It didn't matter whether anybody else knew about it or not. So, as you participate in smaller event, hopefully you can experience a similar feeling of personal glory.

There are many advantages to the smaller event. You can easily get a parking spot. You don't have to show up the night before and fight through some huge expo just to pick up a stupid packet. It's laid back. You show up and feel relaxed. There is no hurry. You are in the zone. If you have someone there supporting you it is easy for them to spot you. In my last event I was able to have my support team (parents) provide me with some Cliff Shots I planted on them along the course. Not only that. You'll get a great personal feeling from the event workers and volunteers. They're all happy to be there and want to talk to you. They love running and they're proud of the event that they're helping to make happen. The entrance fee for these smaller events is usually much less, but the quality is not.

Glory is waiting for you. How will you reach it?