1st, please let me start this post out by saying that I am extremely blessed to be doing the things that I do. I am, for the most part, a very healthy and active person. Additionally I am even more blessed to have a very healthy, happy and supportive family! Their health and well being is #1 priority. Now with that all said I can go on with my DNF / DNS Rant.
The Good
The experience from the very start until the very end was one that I will never get tired of. This group of Ultra Runners down in Ellerbe, NC are the best bunch of people that I have met. In every event they seem to inject themselves and thir personalities into the very essence and under the guidance of Mark Long “The Derby” was no diffrent.
The Bad
ME, I was the bad this time. After injuring myself last weekend at CR24 I should not have even come to this event. But once again as well all know I can be bull-headed. Lots of pain in my knee, ankle and foot.
The story
After hitting the snooze on the alarm one too many times It was time to get up and head out to Ellerbe, NC. I was to meet up with J. Jackson at the Hardees in Carthage at 6:30 and leaving the house at 5 after was going to make it tight. However I rolled up just a min or two late and we were off.
Once we go there we found a parking spot and started getting ready. The 1st person that I saw was non other than Mark Long. We stopped and chatted for a few moments, Picked up my Derby mug and found my race number. The church was wonderfully heated and was very
welcoming as it was about 34 deg outside. Back out to the truck I went, got all my stuff out on my tail gate fill the Nathans up and put in Nuuns in. No sooner did I do all that when my buddy Will rolled up asking jokingly “Is there a race
around here ??” I finished getting ready and headed inside to make a final rest room stop and put my shoes on.
The start of the race was very MTCish and if you were not paying attention you might have missed it. Ready, set, GO! and off we all went like a heard of charing turtles.
The course was a 10.5 mile loop in Richmond County with mostly easy rolling hills and only two of those hills were steep. The course followed mostly old country roads and had one section (about 2.5 Miles of hard packed dirt.
I really did not know where i was until I saw a sign say “Sycamore Lodge”….wait a minute I know where we are! I have camped here with my buddy Mark!
Soon after that things went from bad to worse, my ankle was starting to swell and get really stiff. I figured that well, I can walk for a while then slow jog it out and everything will be ok. Guess what….that didn’t work either.
When I finished the 1st lap I figured I was in for a long day so I changed into warmer clothes and a different running beanie and I was out for lap two. Unfortunately that did not last very long. I was in extreme pain, on the pain index of somewhere between a 7 and 8, not good. When I got to aid station 1 again everyone asked if I was ok to which I answered no and asked if I could sit down…..BIG MISTAKE!! Whatever you do, if you want to finish a race DO NOT SIT DOWN, i repeat, do NOT sit down. Once I sat down I realized that my race was over. I was offer some BioFreeze from my friend Gene, which I applied, but that didn’t do anything. Shortly after that I embraced my fate that this race, “The Derby” 2012 would go down as my 1st official DNF (Did not Finish). However at this moment I am going on record to state that this is also a DNS (Do Nothing Stupid) move for me. With Weymouth Woods in Jan & two MAJOR races in April (Ga Death Race & Umstead 100), I think this was the best move I could have done.
All in all, Derby…I WILL see you next year. Great Race, Great Course, Great People. I think that about wraps it all up.
Peace out!
Well…..today is the 1 week mark from the start of Tarheel Ultra. With no running in my schedule until Tuesday I have been on a 3 day cleaning spree. I spent Friday morning in a tree stand hunting white tail deer, then when the wind kicked up I saw no reason to go out on the evening hunt. With my afternoon hunting plans now not in play I turned my built up “Taper” energy to the inside of my house. Every wall, chair-rail, base board & floor in my foyer, dining room, kitchen & living room have been scrubbed down AND all the floors have been scrubbed & mopped. NOW, we are ready for the holidays! My parents are here for Thanksgiving & to crew me for TU plus we will have other guests for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving will mark the start to a wonderful season, at my hose for a change, of get togethers with friends & loved ones.
