Yesterday I attempted my first 100 mile race. I managed to compete 67 miles before a toenail injury forced me to drop out. It was the first time that I haven't completed a race so the sting of that disappointment will linger for a little while but it won't get me down for too long.
I tried everything I could to fix the injury, including bursting the blister under my toenail, but I found that even that failed to help. When I stopped, it was 1:30 AM and the temperature was dropping. Because I wasn't moving very fast, it was hard to keep warm and I was worried about suffering from hypothermia.
It was an experience that I'll never forget and even though I didn't reach my goal, I'll learned a great deal about myself. This was the longest time I've ever run (19 hours) and the longest distance ever (67 miles). I can take pride in that accomplishment.
During my race, I thought about how much I love to run and how I don't need to do so many races in the future. I didn't want to risk further injurying myself which would have taken me away from the one thing I cherish the most. If I would have continued, it would have taken me close to 30 hours to complete and the thought of that was just too much to bear.
As I sit here today, and hobble around my house, I know that I made the right decision and I can be happy with that. I'm going to resume my running, after taking most of this upcoming week off.
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