A Swift Kick from Lefty

Right in my butt, and deservedly so, regardless of intent or lack thereof. So, despite the fact that I will now proceed to be completely unoriginal, I will take my lumps for offering too little thanks, too late.

I have been, as I am sure all Bimblers are aware, atypically remiss in having not posted a race report from Iroquois. I suppose that is somewhat because I have been too busy licking my wounds to type a lot, and partly because I (very mistakenly) felt that it was just not my day, so I would hang back and let the victors compose their happier thoughts. I am very slow, sometimes more than others, but I am not dead yet. So, given a couple of obvious-to-me-now reasons to reflect, I am ready to write about the Iroquois 100.

It was the best race I never finished. It probably was the best race I ever ran, DNF or otherwise. Why? Well, it certainly wasn’t my totally flawed pacing strategy. My adherence to the nutritional and hydration plan was utterly lacking as well. Finally, whether through my obvious faults in execution or otherwise, my complete lack of a functional gastro-intestinal system for the last 16 hours I ran was no highlight of the day either.

The weather was perfect. The organization was close to flawless. The environment was beautiful. All of that helped, but just a little bit, to make it my “PB”. However, it was all of the Bimblers, and especially my crew, who made it such an awesome experience. My crew know how I feel about them, and I am sure everyone else on the scene knows what a difference they made to me. But, the support starts long before the race day. Having someone to run with on a day you would rather sleep in, or work too late, or mow the lawn, makes a huge difference in training. Having someone whose training discipline and attitude you admire run with you, even just once in a while, is a source of inspiration. Surrounding yourself with people working together to pursue their individual goals is both awesome, and humbling.

So, what did it all come down to on race day? I knew that I needed three things. First, if I were fortunate enough to succeed, I needed to be able to share the joy with people who could really understand how I felt. Second, I knew that if I failed, I would need to share that experience with people who had “been there”. And lastly, I knew that if there would be a point in the race, as there often is, where the difference between failure and success would come down to the support I received, I knew I needed people who could be counted on, unconditionally. Come to think of it, I suppose I have just described my needs for all major life events. How rare it is to be fortunate enough to be assured these things. How blessed I am to have received everything I needed.

Thank you.