Being selfish

I think most of us will admit that ultra-running is a selfish endeavor. We do it because we want to. Sure, we might run a race "in honor of..." or "in memory of..." but we are still doing it because we want to.

When I first moved to Albuquerque I didn't know anyone and I didn't know the trails. I ran a few times with folks from a meetup group (ABQ Girlfriends on the Run), but they mainly ran roads and I only run trails. After a few months, I decided ABQ needed a trail running group so I started the Sandia Trail Runners meetup. We now have 137 members. Admittedly, there are many who have never attended a run and there are several who have run once and never returned. But there are a bunch of people on the list.

I started the group for totally selfish reasons. The funny thing is, when I run with the group, I can't be selfish. I always stick with the slowest runner. I never leave someone on the trails alone. This means that I sacrifice (you like that word? Sounds like I am a martyr.) my  own training. I end up going much slower than I would like. I end up not running with those who run my pace. I generally enjoy the slower runners more than the faster runners, but still....

My question is, would I do this if I were a man? Would I stick with the slowest runners or would I be out there pushing myself to stay up with the leaders, or at least the faster folks?

I am planning a Double Crossing of the Sandias the first weekend in May. While I would love company, I fear that I would end up baby sitting someone. I would rather go on my own. Bummer!!!