There are so many obstacles to finishing a race, including some moral ones.
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I was not even half way into my second half marathon in as many weeks and the discomfort in my right iliotibial band (IT band for short) had quickly escalated from noticeable to downright painful. As I attempted to adjust my gait, a sharp pain shot through the entire outside of my right leg, from knee to hip. It hurt so bad I came to a dead stop. “Can I finish this race?” I asked myself. It was that bad. One of the functions of the IT band is to provide support for the knee. It is common to develop IT Band Syndrome from continual downhill. Unfortunately for me, this course had a total elevation loss of 1400 feet (933 net elevation loss), so there was plenty of downhill remaining.
I stopped, stooped over with my hands on my knees, and noticed a thin, synthetic cord about a foot long, directly in front of me.
From a zero waste standpoint, races are incredibly wasteful. From water bottles to Gu packets, everything is disposable.
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Another solid benefit is the support I received from random strangers.
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Don’t stop. Don’t be discouraged and most importantly, don’t give up.
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