Ten Reasons not to run trail marathons and ultras!

Okay….I have fallen out of love……….

…..with trail running.

Well, to be honest I wouldn’t say I have fallen out of love, but struggling to get out into the hills at the moment. This isn’t helped by my decision (on medical grounds) to stop running marathon distance and above.

I still love the idea of running trail marathons, and ultra marathons. There is something about the challenge. There are that many people running half marathons and marathons that the ultra marathon is seen as been a challenge for the serious runner. Plus they are extremely addictive.

However, my enforced break from these events has led me to think about the benefits of not running them:

So what are the benefits of not running ultra races….and even marathons? Here are my top ten!

1. My toenails now look like normal toenails….almost…..they are still work in progress!
   
   Thank god they are not mine!
2. More time to do other things. My weekends are no longer taken up with all day training runs….including the drive to and from some remote area to recce the next race! I can now entertain other activities…such as cycling (all day, including travel to some remote area 🙂 )…spending time with my girlfriend and family…going to the theatre / cinema etc.!
3. My running doesn’t cost as much…..okay the race entry fees are low for ultras without the road closures etc. to pay for. However I am not buying a different pair of trail shoes each month (shoes for mud, shoes for hard packed trail, slippery rocks, long grass, short grass, snow, all of the above for short races….all of the above for long races) and I haven’t bought a new back pack this year….as for waterproof jackets, more gloves etc.etc…..my collection of these items are now gathering dust in the wardrobe!
   
4. I don’t have to head out for a run looking as though I am going to be away for the next two weeks. No back pack full of different attire for all different types of weather and spare clothes in case the ones I am wearing get wet, or clash with the kit someone else is wearing :). I don’t have to pack food and drink just in case there are no retail outlets to buy supplies….none of which I would eat anyway!
   Looking happy to be out in the rain, with enough food for the week, shoes for long distance, wet mud, and a headtorch so I can locate which gloves I want to select from my backpack
5. No requirement to let most of my family know where I am going and what time I expect to be back and worry about my mobile phone battery lasting in case of emergency…or that I will even have a mobile signal!
6. Entering a 10k, half-marathon, marathon race means just that, you are running 10k, 13.1 or 26.2 miles…….no bonus miles!
   
7. No more abuse when running through towns and cities mid long run or race and been asked:
   • How far am I jogging?
   • Is it a fun run?
   • Why am I not running?
   • And many other totally stupid questions (they are stupid….whereas running non-stop for 48 hours or so is normal!)
     
8. Being able to walk up and down stairs the next day
9. Not worrying about hallucinating due to lack of sleep
   We have all seen these on the hills! Right?
10. Not worrying about getting lost during a race or long training run!

Lost again perhaps….is that a lightbulb above my head…or am I hallucinating again?

I could continue!

However…I wish I was running the Lakeland 50 next year!…and the Hardmoors 110, Race to the Stones…………………….