Sometimes you are dumb. Well, noy you. I dont’ mean you. I mean I.
My dumbness resulted in a DNS last weekend. Only my second ever. My first was a 2011 mud run that I couldn’t get to because we’d overscheduled the weekend. This time, it was all me and my dumb.
I was very excited to run the Mustache Dache. I even, secretly, hoped for a PR because I wanted to try to place in my age group. I’m 35 now! New group for most races, right? I hadn’t trained for a PR (thank goodness), but I’d let myself think about it. And I entered different PR times in DailyMile to see what my pace would have to be to beat 23:45. (Tell me I’m not the only one who does this. C’mon. Confess.)
Anyway, the race was in Magnuson Park in Seattle. Downtown is about 45 minutes from my house and about the distance I’ll go for a 5K. I didn’t know where Magnuson Park was within the city of Seattle. But I figured it was downtown somewhere along Lake Washington or something.
For the past several weeks I kept doing this thing I always do when there’s something I have a question about. I never ever remember the topic I have a question about…unless I’m in the shower or in the car.
This is where I wonder about random crap. The most inconvenient places ever that both result in no-win no-win situations. Checking your smartphone in one of them will cause casualties and, in the other, electrocution. (Probably. Can your smartphone electrocute you in the shower? I’ll never know because I probably won’t remember this question until I’m IN THE SHOWER.)
Anyway. I finally remembered when I was sitting underneath my laptop that I didn’t really know where Magnuson Park was. It was 8 o’clock on the night before th race. I looked it up.
Holy balls! What I discovered is that it is super far from my house. It’s way north of Seattle. And I’m way southeast of Seattle. However, the map online said it would only take me 45 minutes except…the bridge I’d need to take over Lake Washington was going to be closed. The other routes were more than an hour. Ugh.
Around the same time I found out how long I’d be driving, I also discovered that the age group I was in was…wait for it…18-39. Well, there goes any hope for placing, and to be very honest, that was the only thing motivating me to even think about running fast. Running and I have our ups and downs. Right now we’re in a down cycle.
I thought about it…and I tweeted about it. An hour drive for an approximately 24-minute run?
Plus…PLUS…the race didn’t start till 10, which normally, I think would be great, but in this case would mean I would miss half of the day with my family because by the time I finished running and spent a little bit of time chatting with my friends, it’d be at least 11, and then an hour drive home…then a shower…then get over to our friends’ house for the football game. Geez.
So, the moral of the story, kids, don’t be dumb: Check your race locations before you commit! (And your age group if you’re like me: annoyingly competitive.)
1 comment
Kent Christmas Rush 5k or 10k for redemption on December 8th. Much closer, only $10, and I GUARANTEE you will place in your age group!