Have you ever had to pull out?

5 watchers

Caterpillar Apr 2013 11:02am, 1 Apr 2013 7,887 posts	0 Caterpillar Is it better not to start, if you are really not ready, or to turn up and see how it goes?
Anna Bomb Apr 2013 11:08am, 1 Apr 2013 2,026 posts	0 Anna Bomb Pulled out of the G-E canal race, wasn't properly prepared physically and definitely not mentally. Still annoys me now and even more so cos I feel I need to finish that race at some point in the future to put it to rest and by choice I'd never go near another canal ever
Sazzahazza Apr 2013 11:18am, 1 Apr 2013 458 posts	0 Sazzahazza only a 10k, I've DNS a few times due to illness and niggles, which I'm annoyed about
plodding hippo Apr 2013 11:20am, 1 Apr 2013 48,001 posts	0 plodding hippo better not to start
clairster Apr 2013 11:28am, 1 Apr 2013 1,359 posts	0 clairster i am quite at ease with dnf'ing..for the majority of races..if its not working its not working (whether thats mentally or physically), i would rather call it a day than battle needlessly to the end..but its taken a long time for that to sit right with me AND it would depend on the event. If you dont start you will never know if it would have actually turned out ok. that being said, i am also very good at DNSing
Robbo62 Apr 2013 11:29am, 1 Apr 2013 2,119 posts	0 Robbo62 Very few people will be able to say they have never had a DNS, booking races months in advance cannot allow for injuries. Never had a DNF but then i don't do Ultra type distances. As regards to pulling out and thinking it would be better not to have started its easy to be wise after the event.
Carpathius Apr 2013 11:30am, 1 Apr 2013 342 posts	0 Carpathius PH I do think you're being far too hard on yourself. Those long races are at least as much about your mental state as your physical one but the mental state is one hell of a lot harder to train for! I haven't DNS or DNF but I've only done six races so far.
santababy Apr 2013 11:30am, 1 Apr 2013 68,688 posts	0 santababy felt like last yr i was yr of dnf for me. twice now i've dnf at highland fling, first time i fell at 12miles then again at 40 which fucked me up, looked like a mummy by time doc was finsihed with me lol. whwrace last yr i pciked up ankle injury which put me in hospital yr before so didnt want to end up back there. Glenogle, got groin strain which still bothers me actually, i probably couldve gone on but cba only one that bothers me is whwrace, but i know it was right thing to do
plodding hippo Apr 2013 11:33am, 1 Apr 2013 48,002 posts	0 plodding hippo my mental state is fragile right now, to say the least
mblnFERCr Apr 2013 11:49am, 1 Apr 2013 411 posts	0 mblnFERCr I've dnf'd at almost all distances - my favourite being parkrun... No shame in it, but it can mess with your head alot. Probably more painful in longer events, as you spend so long building up to them. Took a few weeks to see the funny side of dropping out of the W100 last year, but realistically I was beaten by the conditions/my preparedness for them