Leaving Someone in Your Dust

I had an interesting conversation the other day about running a race with a friend and if you should ever leave them in your dust. I've had great races where I have felt fast and light and ran on my own. I've had races where I have struggled with injury and a friend has stuck by me even when I told her to go on without me and I've had races where a friend struggled and I stayed with him until he eventually forced me to leave him behind.  It's a tough call when you have spent weeks training but every race is different and there is no way to tell how you are going to perform on any given day.

I guess the best rule of thumb is to have those conversations before race day. I hate feeling like I am holding someone back and would be absolutely ok being left in their dust. It gets tricky when you haven't discussed it, to show up race day and either be the one slowing you both down or equally frustrating is being the one who feels like they could run a great race but don't want to take off ahead.

Maybe I'm too competitive or just maybe some people don't make finish times their priority. I'd love to just run a race to enjoy it but I know that no matter what I will push myself until I am falling apart at the end. I ran a horrible half-marathon where I was fighting through terrible knee pain and couldn't bend my right leg for the last eight kilometers, race officials asked me if I wanted a ride in, it was -26C and my friend stuck with me. I told her to go on but she didn't...I'm not sure if I could have done the same. She stuck with me for the entire painful race as I refused to quit. Yes I was proud that I finished but I also felt guilty for ruining her race day as well.

Now I am a solitary race runner. I am happy to join friends at the start line and run the first few hundred meters together but then it is every man for him or herself.  If I'm having a great race I'll see you at the finish line, if I'm having a horrible race I'll see you at the finish line because no matter what I'll finish.