My flight home leaves tomorrow morning. Today has been a very relaxing day. I slept in, had some coffee and then visited the Auburn Running Company. I managed to avoid buying anything there, but our next stop was expensive. My pacer for WS is still hanging out with us and she took us to an amazing music store in Sacramento called "The Beat". I bought CDs by Tom Tom Club, Simple Minds, Ultravox, The Editors, Bauhaus, Anne Clark, and Husker Du. I also bought the Dead's Terrapin Station on vinyl. My son bought some Iron Maiden, Sisters of Mercy, Alice in Chains, Gallows and Nine Inch Nails. My daughter bought the soundtrack from Twilight. So, I've been copying music to my laptop and then to MP3 players for the flights home tomorrow.
My wife and kids are out playing miniature golf right now. I'm goofing off on the computer. In a while, we'll find some dinner and then get to bed early for our flight home.
Wednesday, I return to work and the "real" world after very little work the past couple weeks. Regretfully, I'm returning home without that coveted belt buckle.
One half of me really wants to retire from ultras right now. But, another part of me still dreams of finishing Western States. I've certainly had my chances and it's my own fault that I haven't taken full advantage of those chances. With the race being harder and harder to enter, how long would it be before I could even get another chance? If I wanted to.
3 comments:
Hey Damon -- Thinking of you. I have no clue what to even say. You must be dissappointed.
Tania,
Thanks for your comments. I am disappointed, but I'm also OK. As I look back at the past year, it's clear that I "earned" this DNF. My diet hasn't been good, my drinking was excessive at times, and my injury even happened when I'd been drinking. So, it's not like this is something that randomly happened to me.
I stopped drinking 5 weeks ago, and I'm planning to spend the next 6 months or so trying to lose some excess weight, having fun with my workouts, and figuring out if I want to try this race again. I'm going to continue to stay away from alcohol for now as well. I've finished some very hard 100s in the past, but the only time I got to WS100 in good shape, the race got cancelled.
I'm also thinking that if I do try this race again, I might take a season off of teaching skiing so I can prepare better for the race.
And no more kickball.
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