Running, Racing, Reporting

Call it the three R's in your running career -

• Running, what we do with the everyday training
• Racing, when you venture out for some kind of timed event and cross the finish line
• Reporting, our endless supply of stories, antedotes and details about our racing and sometimes our everyday running

As runners, we seem to have an endless supply of books, resources and friends to help you with the first two in the list.  And now, this week, Lee Gruenfields has created a little something to help you with those pesky race reports.   I first saw his invention - the automatic race report generator - on 21st Century Moms site.   He built it for those long triathlon reports, but I think the concept is good enough to be adapted for other races.   Remember mad libs?   Just like that, but not quite as silly.

I am thinking that this will be huge!  In 2005 alone, 8.1 million of us completed a race.  That means that there were at least that many race reports being written or shared somehow.   Couldn't you see how it would change the face of racing?!  At the end of the finish line, you get your medal, and your fill in the box form that you check the right boxs, add in expletives about the weather, and fill in the right adjective - just add water - and PRESTO! you have a race report.   Think of all that free time for us runners!

Ok, you know I am kidding.  As runners, recaping and analyzing our race is as critical to our running as our training.   For friends and family, while they might enjoy a shorter account, they like to confirm we made it /didn't die and then enjoy sharing our excitement of the moment.   Over the last few days, I have read at least 150 4th of July/Firecracker run race reports.  And out of 150, I was glad I read at least 149 of them because of the pure emotion and accomplishment that each of them contained.   

There may be a potential to have over 8 million race reports, but like snowflakes and runners, no two are the same.  Keep 'em coming!

Comments

[Wes]

Race reports capture things I would like not to forget! in addition to all that other stuff you said too :-)