Sunday, May 09, 2010

DNS

I was supposed to be racing a 10k in Fredericton today but my stars were out of alignment. It was the 1st time ever that I paid good money to enter a race but 'Did Not Start' for reasons outside my control (well sort of). I suppose it's better than a DNF because it is unlikely that I'd have made it more than a kilometer or so the way my head feels today.

It all started a week ago when looking at my calendar all was clear and a little 10k run might be an ideal way to start off the spring/summer running season. Checked out the website and yes, a nice flat fast course which would give a good indicator of current fitness to be used to guide my training. Ponied up the money and was good to go. I then began laying out a program of races through the summer with a goal of some faster times by the end of the season in the 5k/10k events. No idea at this point what these times might be but at least I had a plan forming. I even went out on Tues for my 1st fast run in ages with the good old 1-2-3 minute fartlek workout and was feeling ready to do more work.

But it was not to be...

On Weds my 'favorite' dentist called and said "Oh, we have an opening for your dental surgery on Thurs, can you come?"

"Mmmm, but will I be able to run in a race on Sunday 72 hrs later?" I asked.

"Oh sure, no problem" was the receptionist's cunning reply.

I was cornered and had no way out. So Thurs I faced the man once again and he bashed me once in upper jaw and twice in the lower jaw and then emptied my wallet (just like getting mugged?) 72 hours later after many pain killers and ice packs I'm left with a face that looks like I've gained 40 lb overnight and is still not recognizable to myself in the mirror. The only plus to all of this is being able to eat all the ice cream I want because it's hard to eat anything solid.

I had hoped that the swelling and pain would have subsided by this morning but it was not to be after a third very sleepless night of ice packs and trying to get comfortable. As a result about all I could manage this morning was walking down the stairs for more ice and so we stayed home instead of doing a fruitless 90 minute drive. Thus I get my 1st ever DNS instead of the likely DNF if I had actually managed to show up.

My friend Trevor however, did very well (results here) finishing with a PB in the 1/2 marathon of 1:48 and I'm looking forward to his story. I'm thinking the weather was on the cool side but good for running and hopefully it was not too windy and rainy as it was here at home.

On the plus side, my dental surgery schedule is now over with only some minor procedures to come over the next year or so. Also on the plus side, I can plan for the summer without the worry of getting 'mugged' again but first will have to find another race to get me started on the road.

Wish me luck, I need some right now. Have a good week!

9 comments:

Jamie Anderson said...

Yowch! But as you eluded to, good to get it out of the way now. Enjoy the ice cream!!!

Trevor said...

Sorry to hear about your first DNS Mike. Putting a spin on what a wise man once told me - you don't need teeth to run! The weather turned out just fine. There's still an opening (or two, or three) in Cabot Trail - but no pressure! Get well soon.

Grellan said...

Good Luck Mike. Loved the videos of the Big Sur.

Surely a DNS doesn't count just because you paid for the race. What if it was a pay on the day race would -it have been a DNS then?

UMaine Cooperative Extension said...

Oh, man, I need an ice pack after reading this post...ouch.

Enjoy the ice cream, though not too much - you want to be able to tell when the swelling goes down.

Marathon. Quebec City. August 29.

UMaine Cooperative Extension said...

Marc

Thomas said...

Jesus! that hurts from just reading it. (Note to self: avoid dental surgery at all costs.) Never mind a DNS, that sounds brutal!

Hope you'll feel better soon.

Ewen said...

Ah, after reading that, I'm off to brush my teeth! For the next round with the dentist, schedule the surgery for the days following a marathon ;) Keep smiling Mike, and I hope you're off the ice cream soon.

Love2Run said...

Sorry for the painful details but I just had to get it out of my system. Feeling better now but still some swelling. Planning on another 10k race attempt this weekend but not pre-registering so no chance of a DNS.

gumushel said...

hey mike! where is the 10K? I did my first 100K week and I'm going to bed