I have never DNF’d a race until last year when I started participating in the Ironman Virtual races. When the pandemic started in 2020, I signed up for nearly every shorter race and eventually every long race. I drew the line at the full Ironman distance, but I did end up running two virtual marathons. I guess the question is if a virtual, multi-day race really counts as a DNF? I suppose it does, and even this weekend (Feb 21st, 2021), I was signed up for a half Ironman with a 5k run, 80k bike, and 21k run. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I would ride three hours in my basement on my bike. (I didn’t)
DNS vs DNF
Of course, there have been many races that I did not start. I even got a DNF medal (A block of wood) from a 10k race at Murphy Haneran state park. I think DNS is more reasonable and responsible, especially to avoid injury or you have a conflict. (Like you signed up for 3 races on the same day)
Motivation
So as a motivation from this post I only have two thoughts
- If you don’t start
- You won’t finish
No matter what your shape, weight, or height, chafing and running go together. I was inspired to write this and all my other A-Z posts by Mark Remy who wrote the book “C is for Chafing“. I am a big fan of satire and I love all of Mark’s writing on his blog. Part of my journey is to describe how my faith journey and my running journey have come together. (And always have been together.) More importantly, how people around me have helped, supported, and inspired me during my running journey.