The (little known) Zane Grey 50k

Last weekend I ran 33 miles of the Zane Grey 50 mile race and then dropped out. I was having an absolutely terrible day of running, with breathing problems, dehydration, weird stomach issues and deep fatigue in my legs. I degenerated from breathing hard up easy climbs early in the race to walking flat sections at mile 31. Basically, my race was just a mess. I had eaten too much the night before the race and the morning of, and my inhaler had not worked properly before the start, and I've been training hard, and I didn't have enough water, and blah blah blah. Excuses are a lot easier to conjure up than is the strength required to finish a terrible race. I've got plenty. The fact is that I didn't finish because I felt bad and was no longer enjoying the run. We do this sport for so many reasons, but at the most basic we run because we enjoy it. At least for me, running is exciting and fun and lots of other adjectives besides. So when I stop feeling good and start suffering, I naturally question the logic of continuing. Certain kinds of suffering are meant to be endured - we practice an inherently painful sport - but when the pain moves from regular fatigue and into legitimate bodily issues, the fun more or less halts. I can have a lot of fun suffering, but in certain cases like Saturday, the only time I'm going to have fun is if I stop. Hence, dropping.


In retrospect, dropping at 33 miles instead of forcing myself to suffer through the full fifty was a good plan since the Miwok 100k is in three weeks. When seen in that light, dropping out was a good way to save my legs for a better day. Unfortunately, in all truth I didn't even think of that until after my race had ended, but it's a pretty good excuse nonetheless. The real truth is that things happen and I could drop at mile 33 and be seen as a quitter who gives up when the going gets hard, or as a mature adult making an astute decision. At the same time I could have suffered through all fifty miles and be seen as a sort of hero for finishing no matter what, or as a fool for stubbornly pushing on to the end and ruining my chances at any upcoming races. The answer is in your perspective. My perspective is somewhat ashamed of not being smart enough to recognize how I felt before the race started, but mostly acceptant of my decision to stop because most of that race really sucked. I'll figure this out and run again soon.

Two final notes here. First, the Zane Grey 50 mile race as an event was just what I love most about races. It was a low-key, personable event in a really cool place. Geoff Roes and I slept under a tree directly at the start line and just rolled out of bed right before the start. The course was marked really well and the brush and logs were only a minor issue, which seemed to be a dramatic departure from the condition of the race in previous years. Overall, the event was extremely well managed. Second, check out Geoffrey Mutai at the Boston Marathon today, who ran the fastest marathon ever. Although his time probably won't count as a world record due to politics I don't understand, his time of 2:03:02 is absolutely unbelievable. What an amazing performance. The time was nearly matched by Moses Mosop, just four seconds back. Pretty incredible.