I Run Slow, but that's Okay

I've always been a competitive person by nature; maybe it's because I'm an only child. Anyway, I never noticed how competitive I was until recently. A few years ago I began running and joined a core group of running friends. We do a lot of races together and when we can, we run on the weekends and evenings as well. Everything is great when I can keep up with them or run faster than them, but lately it seems they are getting faster and I am getting slower. It has really been bothering me, but this morning when I was on one of my practice hill runs, I realized something; we all have our struggles. Now I know this may not seem like an epiphany to you, but realizing this was very important for me.
As I was running up the hill struggling to breathe and feeling twinges in my knee, I realized these are my struggles. After three knee surgeries, sometimes needing to use an inhaler when I run, and sometimes just not having time to run, the fact that I can get out there and run should be enough for me. The only person I need to compete against is myself; not my group of friends, not other people I see at races, and certainly not the people who are running past me as if I'm standing still. So whether a person struggles with age, peeing their pants as they run ;), breathing issues, weight issues, or just lack of energy, we all have our weaknesses and we all have our strengths. The only person we need to compare to is ourselves. The funny thing is, as soon as I had that thought I saw a young lady running up the hill I had just gone up as if there were no challenge for her at all (I really struggled to keep my pace). My first thought was, "Oh I hate her", but then I realized what I had said. I realized she has her struggles as well, and I tried to change my thinking to, "Good for her"! Good for all of us.