MTD's Race Report

This race report will be less of a race report and more of a summation of what I learned about myself as a person and a runner.

This was my second time running Mind The Duck's 12 hour endurance run. Last year I finished with a little over 40 miles. People would ask me about my goals for this race and I said 50 miles but honestly it was a number I thought sounded reasonable. I felt I was in better running shape this year and had put in more miles but I didn't really care so much about the actual number of miles I would run.

Me at MTD's

This year I finished with 34 miles but I stopped after 8 hours. When I stopped Jason asked if I would be angry at myself tomorrow if I stopped now and didn't continue on, I said no. I wouldn't be upset with myself. I knew I could continue on but it would be mostly walking or a shuffle run that was comparable to other people's walking speed. I decided to become a spectator and cheer others on.

A few days after the race, I felt really down and a little depressed. I thought back to the race and wondered if I felt down because I hadn't continued on. That wasn't it. I was proud of myself for running more and walking less this year. This year I ran most of the 34 miles and probably walked about 2-3 miles. Last year I walked far more than I ran. I guess I compare it to the build up of planning for a big wedding and when it's done you have a bit of the blues from the ending of the event.

When I reflected on myself as a runner I realized that it didn't matter what numbers I put up or how fast I ran. What I felt down about was everything leading up to the race. I get far more enjoyment out of the journey than the end result. I am not disciplined enough to try and get faster and I run for the enjoyment of running. Sometimes I set PR's and sometimes I don't. At the end of the day, that isn't what motivates me to run.

I feel like I should be motivated by those things because most people are. I thought I was strange or the only one that feels that way. After talking to Jason, we both find we are very similar. It's not always the end goal that we receive so much pleasure from. Usually it's everything in between.

There have been only a few races that I have completed that I think "I am so proud!". Usually, those were races I did for the first time or distances I ran for the first time but sometimes they are milestones like my first 10 mile run or my first 20 mile run. When I finish a race I don't think about what I need to do to become faster, I think of the next adventure or challenge to try.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's totally awesome to get faster but it's not what ultimately motivates me. If I had to follow a training plan or a rigorous schedule, running would start to feel like a chore. I struggle with this because I'm always assessing myself and worried I wasn't cut out for distance running. I know I do need to train more if I eventually want to run 50 miles, but I am also not disappointed in the effort I put forth. I know I could have finished the 12 hours but didn't feel like I had anything to prove.

What I will remember most about planning and preparing for this event would be:

* Training runs with Sharon, my running buddy. We shared laughs, secrets and tried our hand at rapping while running. We pushed each other to run when the other one would rather sleep in. While running, we encountered dogs, a kid selling Kool-aid in the middle of winter with no Kool-aid in sight, chafing, whistles, upset tummies, trying to figure out what fuels worked for us while running and many places to pee.

* Introducing Sharon to hills and seeing the gleam of addiction in her eye after we were done.

*Training runs with my Michigan crew in the rain, running on roads, trails and stairs. The way they can motivate me and make me laugh so easily.

The Michigan Crew wearing NF shirts. Mark raised $2000 for his cause!

* Training runs with Jason where we would race each other. He's so fast he always wins even when I start without telling him. I feel like a little kid when I try to outrun him and giggle when I try to trick him about the start time.

* Running for the first time after the snow melted when I felt warmth and the sun on my arms.

Mind the Duck's was great fun but more than the actual race I will remember the following:

* Seeing Jesse win 1st overall! He is very humble but works very hard and I couldn't be more honored to call him my Facebook brother & friend!

Jesse won 1st overall with 77.24 miles!

* Meeting new and old online friends in person. I met AngieBee, Vanessa, Shacky, Shelley & Jimmy, Denise and talking to runners I met last year. Being able to talk to them all while running was the best of both worlds! FYI, Shelley is the best Race Director ever! She pays such close attention to detail and works her tail off and it shows!

AngieBee, Vanessa & Shacky wearing great looking tutu's!

* Coming up with a new line to yell at Rick (Michigan crew) every time he passed me. Some of my favorites were "So how much farther to Walmart? They told me around this next corner" & "Is this your first race?". I also enjoyed teasing him for changing his shirt 4 times during the race....what a diva! : ) (Full disclosure: it was raining and he was worried about chafing but calling him a diva was much more fun)

* The car road to and from New York. When John (1 of 4 in the car) laughed so hard while driving that he told us to "Stop it guys...I still have to drive" with tears in his eyes.

* Nearly peeing my own pants in the car. Those guys can make me laugh until I cry and my abs hurt.

* On the road trip, telling the guys "Look at the clown driving next to us" only to have them do a double take and see an actual clown. Hair, nose, makeup and clown suit. We laughed and speculated on where he was going.

I still have those memorable milestones of running for 12 hours last year and all those other firsts but I've come to realize it's not the end for me that matters most.

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” - Don Williams, Jr.