For trail running, cutting back is not quitting

I’ve been planning for months to run a trail 50k near my hometown in April 2016. I did it in 2015, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it again.

Then life happened. I make no excuses – I certainly could have carved out time to make training happen. However, I allowed other things to take priority over my running over the winter.

From injury, to illness, to not wanting to go out in the cold, to crazy schedules between myself, my husband, and my kids, there were a variety of excuses and barriers. What it came down to was my decision to let those things override my training.

I toyed with the idea of backing down to the 25k instead, which is around 15 miles – longer than a half marathon, but not the ultra I wanted to conquer. In 2015 I was well-trained for the event and ended up miserable during recovery. In 2016, being poorly trained, there was no way I was going to subject myself to what would likely be much, much worse.

During a training run with a friend in early March 2016, followed by a few more miles with my dad, I decided to tackle the 25k instead – the race is annual, and I can see where my 2017 ambitions lie. I decided with a smile, and with less guilt than expected.

I’ve only backed out of one race before (I injured my ankle in 2014). This time, I’m not backing out, just backing down. This is a healthy choice for me, and now I can participate in MORE races throughout the summer, sans burnout 🙂