Are you in this category? Did you enjoy taking tests in school for the thrill of the challenge and the validation of your study efforts? Have you found intrigue in comparing your performance to others in a variety of endeavors (academic, athletic, cerebral, etc)? Are sports statistics interesting to you? Do you have trouble maintaining a continuous fitness program? If you answered yes to these questions, then you may be happy to know that there is a path to obtaining perennial fitness. It’s called: Racing.

The word “Racing” frightens many who have considered themselves mediocre or worse when it comes to athletics or fitness. Here is the key point to remember - ultimately, you race against yourself, and in the process, you’ll enjoy watching yourself improve against the competition. The greatest challenge is committing to your first race - it takes a leap of faith to enter into the arena, but once you do, you must (if you have the personality type described above) prepare to meet your own expectations on race day.

My own racing involves primarily triathlon. In 1998 I finished my first race, a “sprint” involving a 400m swim, 12-miles of riding, and a 2-mile run - I was completely exhausted as I finished and very nearly last in my age group (men 30-34), but I was thrilled that I had completed the event and that I could probably improve if I worked at it. Ever since that day, I have made it a habit to ensure I have a race several months in the future - this is the only way I know to stay active. I will not workout for the sake of fitness or for how it makes me look or feel. I need to know that I will not disappoint myself when I compete in the upcoming race.

Here’s what makes it fun:

1. Watching yourself improve steadily over time is extremely gratifying
2. Competing against friends and aquaintances satisfies the Type A side of our personalities.
3. Setting a race performance goal then “studying” to achieve it (i.e., training) is actually fun.
4. The numbers part of it is interesting to many. Race results are posted almost immediately these days and one can compare his/her performance to any group of interest. Looking at percentile rankings provides a good yardstick for measuring progress.
5. The normally advertised benefits happen automatically (more energy, better looks, more confidence, etc)
6. One meets a lot of interesting people who have chosen racing as a path or sidebar to their fitness program.