Confession: I love reading race reports. All kinds of race reports not just the things I do and/or the events I am going to. I love reading about other people's adventure, a breakdown of their plan, things they saw, what works and doesn't, things that change and how they adapt; ya know the good, bad and ugly.
Just so you know, if you choose to read one of my race reports, find a comfy spot- you might be there awhile. My race reports are mostly all book length I think because I want to capture every moment. Plus, I'm not a light packer nor able to give a coles notes version very easily. A terrible flaw, I am working on it:)
There have been 2 race reports that have stuck with me the past while. The first one from Beth at shutupandrun is a report of the Transrockies Ultra held in Colorado about a month ago. She did an awesome job retelling her adventure and I am totally inspired. I have consulted with my calendar as well as my tent partner (the hubs) to check if we can adjust our schedules next Aug to get in on the fun. I have never ran in an ultra event, though I have wanted to for soo long. Heck I only ran my first marathon a month ago (it was preceeded by a long swim and a very long bike ride). But I have a couple 70.3's in the works for 2017 as well as another Ironman. It may be crazy but I think running an ultra 3-5 weeks after the Ironman would be good timing. Any thoughts any of you who have experience?
Anyhow, there were a lot of pictures included in the race report showcasing the amazing mountain. Mountains are my jam- and YES I live in the prairies. It's the farmer's fault.
My favourite part of Beth's race report was really the adventure she had and the joy she had doing the whole thing. Oh sure, there are times that suck and are really hard for everyone but what gets you through those times is the joy of the journey.
Which leads me to the second race report which was very devoid of a love of the journey. It was written by a gentleman who just completed an Ironman in which he had very specific numbers he wanted to achieve. I am really just starting my Ironman journey and the idea of qualifying for Kona is a very distant dream so I get someone who is presently seeking that goal and will tie everything into those numbers. And because the train derailed sometime during the run for this gentleman and he did not get his time he wanted, there is disappointment, anger and bitterness. I get that. That's now really the part of the report that sat wrong with me. He explained in the beginning how he really doesn't love doing Ironman's but really loves competition and followed that up with anything less than a win would be a major disappointment.
It just seems so horrible to think that something that should be done for fun just isn't fun. Life is too short to spend countless hours doing something that doesn't give you purpose and joy for life. Gosh with all the possible choices for "free time" activities, certainly we all should be able to find something that makes us smile, takes us amazing places, makes us crawl a bit but then presents a reward that is more a number.
So not that you needed my 2 cents worth about all that but I sure hope you are all more content with the journey than the end result. If there was no donut, there would be no place for the sprinkles; no cake then no where for the icing to sit. If we are expecting to have yummy icing on top of our least favourite foods, maybe we should think again.
Have a great adventure today!
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