Training together and racing together

While the goals of building and holding high mileage and significant team perks sometimes seem like the greatest motivators, another unique feature of Team Rogue is that the members plan to run the same marathon.  Perhaps the reason why “Team Rogue” seems so fitting as a title for our group is that we actually are going to be training, traveling and racing as a team. 

The California International Marathon starts at an elevation of 4,000 feet in Folsom and extends all the way to Sacramento, only 26 feet from sea level.  The course follows the historic gold miners’ route downhill and ends right in front of the California State Capitol.  Over 9,000 runners will gather for this event, and Rogue will represent somewhere around 55 of them!  We will fly to California together and stay in the same hotel, only minutes from the starting line.   After slogging through months of intense training, December 7th and ending our season together on an exhilarating note will be a great reward. 

In previous years, Performance Project members raced together at Chicago and Boston.  Building up to the similar goals, despite different paces and training schedules, integrally determines the nature of this group and of Rogue generally.  We’re all running differently and for different reasons, but we’re all still running.  Training does not come effortlessly to anyone because, as an individual sport, it requires that we push our limits and test our strength every time our feet hit the pavement.  What is the same about us all as members of Team Rogue is that we’re training for the same race, and we have to get through the same runs together until that point.  What is the same about us all as runners is that we are following our bliss and discovering our paths every time we put our shoes on.