Training Log Archive: Timato

Event: Grindstone 100 - 100 Mile Trail Race
 

DNF - Do Not Fail?
DNS - Do Not Suck?

Well I both failed and sucked at this one. This race story started Wednesday morning when I woke up with a sore through, oh sh!t I'm coming down with Aubrey's cold. This continue to Thursday as Mike came to pick me up.
Do I have all my race stuff? Check.
Do I have a pocket of kleenex for the drive down? Check.
Do I have my Fisherman's Friends so my throat doesn't completely seize up? Nope. Hold on Mike I've got to go fetch one more thing.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon and I'm struggling to stay awake during the pre-race briefing. It's 2 pm in the afternoon, race starts at 6 pm, how is this going to work?

I was able to catch about 40 min sleep before the race start and then couldn't fall asleep anymore, oh well time to get ready. Did I mention it was starting to rain, something about the front end of a hurricane or something coming through.

Race start, well it's only a few miles into the race, I'm feeling fine. We climb our first mountain, I'm ok. I start to run down the other side. Sh!t I'm tired. What's wrong? Why am I struggling to run down a mountain? By now my sinuses are congested and my head feels like it's stuffed with cotton. Well the good news is that it's only slightly raining, but wow these rocks are slick, BAM, wow those rocks hurt when you wipe out and land sideways on them. Good news my legs are fine, I seem to have landed only on my right thumb. Damn it hurts as I try to open my pack for some food.

I come into the third aid station and see Mike, I've now run 22 miles. I'm wiped and already talking about stopping because I can't see doing another 80 miles like this. I mean I'm sure I could "Do It", but do I want to do 80 miles feeling like this. Mike talks me into continuing until the next time I see him at 37 miles.

Out of the aid station I felt a bit better for a few km, but then I continue to deteriorate, just this overall feeling of tired and fatigued. The last few miles are all downhill and I end up walking them into the aid station. Not how I figured this race would play out in my head.

I decided at this point to just pack it in and head to bed. At the time I had mixed feelings about stopping, but a day or two later and seeing how I'm feeling I know it was the right decision. Oh well, one of these comes about every few years and there's not much we can do about it.

Disappointed, but realize some things are out of my control.

C • Sounds familiar 6