2014-04-09 - D.N.F.

The hardest part of our sport is not running, especially when we are forced with the choice when a pain comes up during a run on one of these glorious spring days, or harder yet, during a race. The acronym DNF may stand for "Did Not Finish" but when we make the hard choice it becomes "Did Nothing Stupid". Many of us have ran into or through pain to finish what we planned, only to miss days, weeks or even months of the daily run, our daily bread, due to injury, dang. The choice to stop is always brutal, to stop feels like wimping out and brings with it the feeling of failure, especially when we find ourselves back out on the roads and running, pain free and healthy the next day or in just a few days, But the choice to run into pain is rarely a good choice, one that most likely  will leave us feeling stupid, bull headed and full of guilt for what often feels like an eternity.

I bring this up as many of us are toeing the line in the early spring races after a brutal winter, a winter where we did not get in the training we had planned to have got in up to this point, and with goals in our heads that are not based in reality. For those of you who make the hard choice to "Do Nothing Stupid", do it knowing I will be proud of you!

May you make the right choice,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who knows there is a good chance I will have some hard choices this spring.

PS: Some hopeful news, if pain strikes, there are some great new medical products on the shelves at Running Fit, from foam rollers and compression sleeves to specific products for your specific pain, all kinds of cool stuff that can get you back out there training much sooner than without them. Even more importantly, Running Fit has a staff of passionate runners who can, unfortunately for them, understand your pain but fortunately for you, will direct you to the right product and explain how to use it!

PS: The Martian Invasion of Races takes place on Planet Earth, April 12th, join the Running Fit crew for a morning of personal fulfillment, volunteer opportunities are still available here.