Previously in the year I outlined a tentative schedule for my racing this spring and summer, and now that has changed. How, you ask? Well, interested runners, I'll tell you how. I won't be running the Nueces Trail Runs in Texas this weekend.
Now, before you all stand up with shock and outrage, I'd like a chance to defend myself. The Nueces Trail Runs will be this year's USATF 50 mile trail championships. I signed up for the race anticipating other competitive runners to do so as well, but as of today the list is a scant 50 runners long. Now that doesn't mean that nobody fast is racing - the list contains the likes of Dave James, Michael Owen and Jason Schlarb - but I have trouble reconciling a long plane flight down to a small race in Texas with only a small number of fast runners. Surely the list contains several dark horses that I've never heard of, and the guys that I have heard of are REALLY fast, but I guess I got spoiled on the competition front last December at the The North Face 50, when just about every fast guy in the sport showed up to compete. But the relative lack of competition is not the only reason I'm not going.
Two weeks ago I had a good long run at the Red Hot 50K, and I've been able to train through that without any issues. But new to my schedule is the Lake Sonoma 50 mile race in Healdsburg, CA on April 2. Even though I signed up for Lake Sonoma later than Nueces, I've already made it more of a priority in my buildup to Hardrock, and I'm hesitant to run two 50 mile races so close together so early in the year. That's a quick course to burnout, from my perspective, and I need to maintain a high level of motivation through the summer. Also, I talk so much about being environmentally friendly, yet I've already got two plane flights to California this spring planned and then a big one to France in August. Flying is one of the most destructive acts normal people do to the environment on a regular basis, and while I'm nowhere near being even remotely carbon neutral, I don't see a reason to use up all the energy of a flight to and from Texas just for a race I'm not completely psyched about. Yes, I could go down there and compete with the fast guys that will be racing - and I'm sure we'd all have a great time - but the Nueces' lack of absolute necessity in terms of my big racing plans for the year means that the energy expenditure is just not worth it.
This is not meant to take away from the Nueces Trail Runs or from USATF. This is only a personal decision based on personal planning. The race will certainly be competitive at the front and the winner will even take home $500, which is a cool testament to the work the race director and crew are putting into their project. The course looks very pretty and varied as well, judging by the photos on the website. And finally I'd like to extend a personal thank you to RD Joe Prusaitis, who was kind enough to offer me an entry and a place to stay for the weekend. Hopefully I can come out next year. Good luck to everyone racing down in Texas this weekend!
YM
You posted this about an hour after I posted my blog. I won't be running either. To bad my reason is for injury reasons. Best of luck to you the rest of the year, I hope I can run into you sometime at a race.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is very sad that, while today, this race may not be as competetive as you'd like it to be, you are not giving a shot to helping it become so. Some many years ago all those popular today races were a nothing in a blimp as well. Somebody had to come, run, spread the word. As I mentioned in a comment to your Hardrock musings, I find it really, well, for the lack of better word, unappealing, that so many of the "front runners" these days fight for "making a field competetive" at races that are already popular, and express their birth right to do so, as opposed to explore other venues and bring attention to new ones. You are a great runner, Dacota, but you just lost in my heart. I thought (hoped) you were the "last standing" in a new breed of fast ultrarunners. Wishing you well at Sonoma.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to,
ReplyDelete"I run for the adventure and the experience. The medals and awards are secondary to the run itself, and as long as that remains true I will always be a runner. If the tangible benefits ever surpass the intangible ones, I will have lost the real reason I run." ?
Easy. The power of corporate sponsorship has it's way of digging it's claws into even the most pure of hearts. It can easily make you re-evaluate your racing schedule throughout the year. What's important, What isn't? We can't fault him for wanting to pour his time and effort into a race such as Sonoma if he feels it will better prepare him for Hardrock. I commend him for that. Too often I see with the younger crowd the need and desire to run every race on the calendar. Only to burn out a few years after they take flight. It's nice to see that a younger star is concerned about doing too much. That shows wisdom beyond his years. So what if he decides to choose one race for another. That's his choice. Life is too short to be living with the regret of not doing a certain race or the guilt that those place on you for making a gut decision. I have no doubt that all of us will be hearing about "Young Money" for many years to come. However that being said. I am sorry I will not get the chance to meet you down their brother. The best of luck to you this season and be well...
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog and think you're a great writer, and look forward to following your running career.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has the right to change their race plans as they wish. I'm not here to comment on that. However, since you brought up carbon neutral topic, for the sake of banter...
The flight distance from San Antonio, Texas to Denver, Colorado is 801 miles.
The flight distance from San Francisco, California to Denver, Colorado is 950 miles. G.Roes' "race of champions" out in Virgina -> The flight distance from Richmond, Virginia to Denver, Colorado is 1,491 miles.
Based on this, looks like you should have cancelled Cali, and that UROC (if you choose to run it) will be a tough pill to swallow too, if that's truly a top reason as you cancelled a trip to the true "National Championship" that was the closest one.
Again, best of luck in Sonoma!
everyone runs and races for different reasons. beyond this we all race different races for different reasons. part of the appeal of these races that we all do is that we all come to them from very different places and with very different desires, but then we line up and we all run the same course from point A to point B. Some people race for the personal challenge, some for the competition, some for the comradarie with other runners, some just to see if they can actually run 50 or 100 miles. We all do it for different reasons. maybe most people don't pick races based on their competition level, but it's pretty unfair to Dakota to fault him for doing so in this one case just because maybe you don't choose races based on this. it would be similar to a front runner getting upset at someone for choosing a race over another race based on what they thought was the easier race to finish under the cut off. it's just a different perspective from a different person. This whole thing would be kind of boring if we all did it for the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteGuys, you have to remember, Dakota (and myself) is still in college. This race is March 5th. Right in the middle of Spring Semester. For a college student to be expected to constantly travel, pay for all the travel expenses, race entry, etc, is a bit much. I'm not saying that is the reason Dakota decided not to race but it shouldn't be criticized or second-guessed.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I think the confusion is that it came across that Dakota's main reason for not doing Nueces was because only a few fast runners were coming (Sonoma, money, carbon neutral came across as secondary reasons). As Tony pointed out, that reason seemed to conflict with earlier posts Dakota made about why he runs (which were very well written and enjoyable to read). By all reports Dakota is a fine young man and everyone certainly wishes him the best.
ReplyDeleteDakota is a fine young man. He may not remember me, but I was fortunate enough to speak with him briefly at the Jemez Trail run pre-race dinner in 09. Dakota came up and sat with our group and spoke of how he was excited to run his first 50 because he had heard they were SO MUCH FUN. I ran the 50K, and on the trail he was cordial as he passed me on his way to a second place finish.
ReplyDeleteChris and Tony, not to put words in Dakota's mouth (and it's certainly possible i'm misunderstanding what he's saying), but I really don't see the contradiction between what he said previously and what he's saying in this post. in the quote that Tony pasted above Dakota's saying that he runs primarily for the adventure and the experience (i.e. the intangible benefits). Is the experience, challenge and thrill of competition with other runners of his ability not part of this adventure and experience? is the satisfaction of competition not an intangible benefit of racing? He also stated that he doesn't primarily run for the medals and awards (i.e. the tangibles). I think what he's saying in this post couldn't be more dead on proof that he adheres to this. He's overbooked his racing schedule and is deciding to cut out a race in part because it doesn't appear that it's going to end up as competitive as he had hoped. If he ran for the tangibles (the awards and the medals) this lack of competition would increase (not decrease) his appeal in this race. This is a "national championship" race with prize money. If he was running primarily for the awards and prizes he would be salivating over what he perceives as a lack of deep competition. The experience and thrill and challenge of competing against other similarly talented runners is not by any means the same thing as the desire to win awards, medals, prizes, or "national champion" designations. Perhaps I'm reading way too deep into some of these comments, but I can't help but think that some of you are seeing these as the same things.
ReplyDeleteGeoff, you are entirely correct in that I may be misinterpreting it. I took it to mean that he ran for the experience of doing the run and the competition wasn't as important to him. But your interpretation may be more correct.
ReplyDelete"A foolish consistency is hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson.
ReplyDeleteEnter whatever race you want. Decide to run or not run whatever race you want, for whatever reasons you have. No need to justify, explain or feel guilty for changing plans. I appreciate your honesty, but really that is between you and you. Enjoy being young and fit and fast! It won't be that way forever.