Life after my first DNF...

… is not as bad as one may think.  In the business of marathon running being "tough" is usually associated with one’s ability to defeat adversity in a race. What people tend to minimize or forget is that being tough has absolutely nothing to do with being stubborn or not smart.  We often think that a good runner is one that goes for it no matter what, one that defeats adversity by pushing through the “wall” or one that trains and races in pain. I used to be one of those runners. But the past six months have taught me that being tough is much more than those things.

My running has had ups and downs in the past 12 months.  I went from running an almost perfect race (in Eugene) to run a terrible race in Berlin and then to sit down for almost two months with a hip injury. I know what it feels to completely defeat the 26.2 miles, but I now also know what it feels to sit down by my widow to watch people running. I also know that by not listening to my body I not only diminish my chances of running fast, but also increase my chances of injury. I now know that being “tough” implies making difficult decisions even when they go against the popular belief. It implies being careful sometimes.

I know what it feels to run a fast marathon (3:09:01) and leave the stadium without any problem, smiling, feeling invincible and looking forward to run again. But I also know what it feels to run a bad race and feel down for several weeks after it only because I didn’t make smart decisions and ran a bad time. Most importantly, I know what it feels to run in pain and how difficult it is to recover when the itch for running is in you every single day. I decided to DNF in Boston because I can feel that my health is coming back. I DNF because I didn’t want to take risks and trash my legs in a day that is going into the history books as the slowest Boston marathon in history. In short, I DNF because I didn’t want to throw by the window a training cycle that is getting better by the day.  I DNF because I thought, and still think that I can run a strong marathon in 5 or 6 weeks.

In a way, I feel that a DNF in Boston will bring me to a different level as a marathon runner. The level that I hope will allow me to run a sub 3 hr marathon soon.  More on the race (or training run) in a post to follow.  

Cheers.