Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday
Last night they reopened I-70 just a couple hours later but maybe shouldn't have. Up Vail Pass traffic was bumper to bumper for as far as the eye could see and we bounced between ~20 mph and 0 mph for hours. I saw a Suburban flipped over and crushed which may have been why they closed it in the first place (4X4's don't stop any faster). My legs feel great but my calf is definitely strained up behind the knee. I'm pissed about my race... not THE race but I'll learn a lot from it which means that I failed successfully. It's February and just my second 'ultra' so I'm over it.
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11 comments:
Failing successfully is a good way to look at it--not that from this end it looks like you failed... but I am not you.
You are very hard on yourself.
Who else will be hard on me?
Oh, I don't know. I do the same thing so I shouldn't talk. But years of therapy has taught me it's like you know, --super bad to do it. Love yourself, give yourself a big hug, don't let the inner critic bring you down etc and so on.
Isn't that what it's supposed to be like out west as opposed to NE anyway? Love yourself? Maybe that's just in Cali and not in the mountains...:)
I missed a turn and gave up. I was pissed. Now I'm not. My next race I will try to prevent doing it again. That's the process.
I do like your advice though, thanks.
Damn...I went off course twice and I had a bunch of people's footprints to follow! There are a lot of tricky turns. In many places you're essentially running across rock from ribbon to ribbon...not following anything but little pink things fluttering in the distance.
At least the weather in Moab cooperated Saturday morning. Sounds like the high country in CO was the pits.
I love the "next race" way of thinking. That's what it's all about.
JRP
Thanks Jim. I would tell anyone wanting to run Moab that one of the great challenges on the course is the navigation. If I do it again I will take that attitude and simply add navigation to distance, terrain, and competition. It really was a beautiful course! In a way I did get to enjoy it more. I stopped many times and just took in the views. I also got to meet quite a few people. I ran up on an elderly gentleman doing the 30k who was puking his guts out. I stopped and walked with him a bit and gave him a gel and some water. I asked if he was 'OK' and he replied 'I'm having a great race!' Awesome attitude.
Ya, 'next race'. Which for me might be Leadville.
Thanks!
It's becoming less of a problem for me now, but I've been gritting my teeth and clenching my fist since your report, uttering the words, "why didn't he just go with Karl!"
I'll get over it.
Hi Tim, quite the opposite from the racing spirit/attitude you've soured on from the past! I'm glad you have this perspective and enjoyed the people and scenery despite the frustration of getting off course. Great story about the guy you stopped to check on--that's what its all about.
Matt- I started the race with the open minded attitude that I was simply going to run controlled and within myself and not push. That's what I did and I was up by 4:00 at 16 miles. I'm on the fence about whether or not I actually screwed up on race strategy. Looking back of course I can say I should have just tucked in behind Karl. But to stay behind simply to not get lost doesn't seem like 'racing' to me either, I wasn't there to get a guided tour of Moab. I had the balls to go it alone at least and give it a shot. And the next time I race I'll do the exact same thing. I don't think that great things happen unless you take risks. Mistakes and losses are part of it. Thanks.
Wende- In my last Ironman I double flatted on the bike (and only had one spare tire). So after I realized the race was a wash I jogged the run and just had fun. I stopped every lap and hugged and kissed Ben and Jo... it was the most fun I ever had in an Ironman (I still ran 3:10). Once that fierce competitive energy was gone it was just fun. I think I have issues (duh!) with the fact that racing used to be my job. If I didn't perform well then I didn't get a paycheck or I didn't get a sponsor. This changes the outlook I have on racing I think. Part of the reason I don't race often is that I have an underlying pressure to perform that still feels like 'work' to me. I don't really enjoy it. I know quite a few ex-pros that won't race for fun, many just walk away from competition. I'm just now learning to train for fun. In the past even training was a huge form of pressure and unlike many athletes who use training as a stress relief, it's always been the opposite for me. The training was the main stress and it became so critical to be 'on' every day and to perform at a high level. That of course carried over to racing. When I toe the line at a race, even a little 'fun run' I get sick to my stomach and my expectations on myself are painful. It's unhealthy and I don't enjoy it. This is partly why I pulled completely up on Saturday. Once I saw my mistake I didn't want to compete even a little bit, so I walked and jogged and stopped to stretch to make sure that there was zero pressure to compete. If I took myself completely out of the race then there would be no pressure. Pretty effed up.
Dude,
I didn't mean turn your brain off THAT much!
Tough break but you're nails. Fall a little, bounce back.
Damn you dad that is not fat!!!!! It's ALL your fault! :) No man... I would do the same thing again. Cheers~
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