Priceless

If anyone ever said that running in an inexpensive hobby, they lied.

I don't pay to run 5k's anymore and try as might to find free races, there aren't many. But I find motivation in a bib number and those aren't free. They cost weeks of working, my hard earned money, and miles of trail; for that particular race that number is who I am. It is a jumbled random selection representing the miles of training runs, the seconds counting against my time chip, the comparison of PR to goal, and the stats about my age and wave. Right now it is just a random number, but when I cross the finish it will be my recorded time, my place in the crowd, the number of the next chapter in my race book, a new PR... or step closer to it (or as with the MCM, a PW, calculating room for improvement). There is no price one can put on the thrill of the race, the experience on trail, the proof of continuous forward motion; and that makes these bibs priceless....
Or at least that's the rationale I use for raping my bank account!

Last night I registered for all my big Spring races... El Paso Marathon $80, Phoenix Marathon $95, Bataan Death March $85, Boston Marathon $300, and the Jemez 50k $65. This doesn't cover cost of travel, lodging, food, or sneakers. Sure, I could stick to the free kind of running on the trails or stick to the MWR events on post, but when I die with a full savings account, what will I say I did with my life? What will I have brne training for? I pay it because I can, I pay it because it's worth it, but mostly (like most others) I pay it for the experience and the bragging rights!

"I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate"