Quitting a marathon

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Tim <[email hidden]> wrote:
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No task in life seems impossible to me anymore.
Tim

Cool. How about doing the Badwater race or the Appalachian trail? ;-)

Too easy. I like real challenges.

Seth <[email hidden]> wrote:
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Quoted message said:

Cool. How about doing the Badwater race or the Appalachian trail? ;-)

Quoted message said:

Too easy. I like real challenges.

Ignorance is bliss indeed.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Seth <[email hidden]> wrote:
...

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Quoted message said:

Cool. How about doing the Badwater race or the Appalachian trail? ;-)

Quoted message said:

Too easy. I like real challenges.

Ignorance is bliss indeed.

Ok, I will add the smiley for the humor impaired. ;-)

Quoted message said:

Seth said:

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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There was a race I DNFd for exactly that reason (I was falling behind on a
time goal). It was a short race (2 miles) but it hurt like hell and I was
fading. The decision to DNF is something I regret more than any other
decision I've made as a runner. Even though my instincts said that it was
"OK" at the time.

Your running doesn't even compare to Paula's running so you are in position
to question her.

I think that your point made elsewhere in the thread about DNFing in longer
races (marathon or longer) to avoid post-race downtime has some merit. I
haven't run in longer races, so I admit that I don't know to what extent this
is a consideration. But the case for DNFing is definitely stronger in long
races.

I've already stated several times that I'm not judging her, especially since
we still don't know all of the facts behind this. But I am generally against
DNFing.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Seth said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Seth <[email hidden]> wrote:
...

Quoted message said:

> Cool. How about doing the Badwater race or the Appalachian trail? ;-)
>

Quoted message said:

Too easy. I like real challenges.

Ignorance is bliss indeed.

Quoted message said:

Ok, I will add the smiley for the humor impaired. ;-)

Hmmm.. I didn't (and still don't) know the emoticon for
"playing along." Maybe I should've just have said:

Ignorance is bliss indeed. ;-)

"Tim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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I've run 2 marathons and at several times during both i thought of
quitting.Thankfully i didnt. I think i would have suffered far greater
by quitting than the temporary physical pain i endured during the
marathon. There is no greater feeling than finishing a marathon. No task
in life seems impossible to me anymore.
Tim

You obviously do not have kids!

I think there could be great reasons to quit. Any injury for instance that
would cause one to become incapacitated for a period of time. Or if it is
very hot and continuing could lead to a serious health issue. Then it would
be stupid, IMHO, to put yourself in harm's way.

I see little glory in walking the last 4 miles in an hour to finish a
marathon--and I have come close to doing just that.

"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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(Edward) said:

[email hidden] (Tim) wrote in message
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I've run 2 marathons and at several times during both i thought of
quitting.Thankfully i didnt. I think i would have suffered far
greater by quitting than the temporary physical pain i endured
during the marathon. There is no greater feeling than finishing a
marathon. No task in life seems impossible to me anymore.
Tim

I've run about 10 marathons and quit the last one. I was aiming for
sub 3; arrived at half way in 1:29 more or less all-in, and stepped
off the road. This was London 2003. I can see absolutely no gain in
carrying on running if you're not going to achieve your goal. If your
goal is just to finish, then carry on running. If your goal is an
Olympic medal and you're 4th with no realistic expectation of
improving, then quit. It's not like she had to prove that she could
finish, is it?

No. But she wasn't just running for herself.

Phil M

Who was she running for? Great Britain? Please.

Donovan Rebbechi said:

Allow me to remind you that it is you and not I who criticise the "mental toughness"
of others.

And may I remind you that I never said anything about mental
toughness. Those are your words.

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I did not criticise your mental toughness or anyone elses.

Yeah, right. LOL

Mike Tennent

In article <[email hidden]>, Kirk Leach
<[email hidden]> writes

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I think most Brits would rather have a healthy Paula Radcliffe after
the Marathon than one who struggled to finish 7th and injured herself
in the process.

I'll agree with that. I'm still damn proud that she's the fastest female
marathoner in the world, and I'm looking forward to the 10,000m on
Friday. I was also inspired by the 3 medallists, no matter what their
nationalities. It was a great race, and thrilling to watch.
--
Mel Rimmer

In article <[email hidden]>, jobin@REMOVE-DEEZ-
WORDS.hotmail.com.edu writes

Quoted message said:

Tim <[email hidden]> wrote:
....

Quoted message said:

No task in life seems impossible to me anymore.
Tim

Cool. How about doing the Badwater race or the Appalachian trail? ;-)

Oh, I'd love to do the AT. I'd hike, though. You're not talking about
running it, are you?
--
Mel Rimmer

It's a shame Radcliffe doesn't feel as strongly as you.

Donovan Rebbechi said:

What are you blabbing about ? I'm not the one who is accusing her of being a
coward.

There you go again, putting word's in people's mouths. Never said she
was a coward, never opined as to why she quit. Just said it was the
wrong choice.

Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"

Sam said:

I see little glory in walking the last 4 miles in an hour to finish a
marathon--and I have come close to doing just that.

I'm sitting here wondering why runners should get special dispensation
for quitting their event in the middle of it? (I'm referring to
non-injured runners.)

As I mentioned in another thread, divers blow a dive and have to go
right back up on the platform. A gymnast blows a routine and can't
simply walk off the floor and quit. A skater falls - they don't skate
off the ice and leave the rink.

They'd be roundly (and correctly) criticized for quitting and probably
sent home in disgrace.

Yet, some folks here seem to think it's OK for a runner to do it.

Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"

Mike Tennent said:

Donovan Rebbechi said:

What are you blabbing about ? I'm not the one who is accusing her of being a
coward.

There you go again, putting word's in people's mouths. Never said she
was a coward,

TBR said almost exactly that (the exact word was "crybaby"😉. You merely accused
her of being "unolympic".

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Mike Tennent said:

Sam said:

I see little glory in walking the last 4 miles in an hour to finish a
marathon--and I have come close to doing just that.

I'm sitting here wondering why runners should get special dispensation
for quitting their event in the middle of it? (I'm referring to
non-injured runners.)

Is there a black-and-white distinction ? How long does it take to recover from
a marathon, especially an extraordinarily bad marathon ? If it's OK to quit in
order to avoid being sidelined by injury, why not quit to avoid being sidelined
by other typs of damage, even if those types of damage are not referred to as
"injury" ?

Quoted message said:

As I mentioned in another thread, divers blow a dive and have to go
right back up on the platform. A gymnast blows a routine and can't
simply walk off the floor and quit. A skater falls - they don't skate
off the ice and leave the rink.

How long, in weeks, does it take to recover from a dive ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Mike Tennent said:

Sam said:

I see little glory in walking the last 4 miles in an hour to finish a
marathon--and I have come close to doing just that.

I'm sitting here wondering why runners should get special dispensation
for quitting their event in the middle of it? (I'm referring to
non-injured runners.)

BTW, right or wrong, it appears that there were several DNFs at that race
(about 20% of the field)

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

"Mike Tennent" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Just said it was the wrong choice.

Mike,
Not to butt in but this is probably the one race where in my mind
gutting out a finish means very little. Whether it's multi facted
ironman or pure running ultra I understand what it means to gut out a
finish. Just for the record, so not to think I bail when the going gets
rough, I have never DNF'ed (knock on the big hunk of wood) an ultra and
I can assure anyone that the last 20 miles of a 100 are not fun.

Having said that, this race, and probably only this race, is all about
gold, silver and bronze and I don't personally think gutting out a
finish in her case makes sense. Whether she was physically and/or
emotionally spent she went for a gilded prize and did not make it. As an
old friend would say, "she put the quarter in the juke and boogied till
she puked." For her it was all about a medal and not achieving that goal
was failure. I don't think any less of her for recognizing it wasn't in
the cards. Whether she bailed or finished 40th she would make the
highlight films.

My opinion.
DougF

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I have little doubt that any athlete as hard working and focussed as
Paula
Radcliffe would indeed do some deep thinking about this.

Does anyone in this disussion think she is not agonizing about this
race?

I still contend the marathon is the hardest race distance. Even ultras
are easier because you learn to mix walking or hiking. For someone
racing the marathon you run every bloody inch and usually somewhere
close to the anaerobic threshold. You can train your ass off yet the
number of variables on any given day tend to work against you. If it's
to be hot you train in heat. If hilly you hit the hills. Fluids, salt,
carbs etc. etc. And on race day you boogie till ya puke.

-DougF

"Mike Tennent" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Sam said:

I see little glory in walking the last 4 miles in an hour to finish a
marathon--and I have come close to doing just that.

I'm sitting here wondering why runners should get special dispensation
for quitting their event in the middle of it? (I'm referring to
non-injured runners.)

As I mentioned in another thread, divers blow a dive and have to go
right back up on the platform. A gymnast blows a routine and can't
simply walk off the floor and quit. A skater falls - they don't skate
off the ice and leave the rink.

They'd be roundly (and correctly) criticized for quitting and probably
sent home in disgrace.

Yet, some folks here seem to think it's OK for a runner to do it.

It's a stupid comparison. Divers, gymnasts, and skaters have lots of
practice of missing a technique and continuing. Any technique in these three
sports is far shorter than even the shortest distance races. There is no
acrobatic movement involved in running. And even in DNFing Radcliffe
performed far more of the elemental movement of her sport than a gymnast
would in a week.

I think most of the people commenting on Radcliffe didn't see the same race
I did. The US coverage showed her attempting to restart at least three
times. It certainly appears to me that it was a very difficult decision for
her to DNF and wasn't at all the strategic decision (stay fresh for the
10000m) being portrayed here. Radcliffe ran the race in difficult conditions
to win; not to finish. The only scenerio I can contemplate in which it would
be fair to say she was a coward or lacked mental toughness is if she ran the
race at a 7 minute mile pace. But then she would have finished and made the
naysayers here happy.

And the damn troll wins again because no one talks about the success
stories. Congratulations to Mizuki Naguchi who ran the race of her life and
continues the tradition of Japanese marathon sucess in the Olympic games.

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Question: what is the shortest distance for which you'd consider this
a good
reason to DNF ?

Distance is only one variable. I DNF'ed a 10k race my first year of
running because I had a side stitch so severe I could hardly move. It
your injured 10 feet is too much.

Quoted message said:

I wouldn't consider it a good reason to DNF for any distance that
I've raced
before, but then the longest I've raced is the half.

So if you had a severe cramp in your favorite 10k in Central Park you
would keep running through it? Subtracting out injury we typically don't
DNF but slow down and finish with more time on the clock.

Someday you will discover that the full marathon is not just twice the
distance for a spread sheet. It's geometrically bigger. 🙂

-DF