the Way of the Turtle

To NIPMUCK...
Monday, May 19, 2008

... or not to NIPMUCK... that is the question. (Apologies to Will Shakespeare.)

There's no question as to whether or not I'll be able to complete NIPMUCK this year. I won't. I haven't put in the training time, and as this past weekend shows, I don't have the natural ability to be able to fake it.

So do I go to NIPMUCK, run the 1st 12 mile out-and-back, and then run a shorter out-and-back at the start of the 2nd half, for what amounts to essentially a supported long run and a DNF? Or do I run somewhere else that weekend (like at the Tortoise-and-Hare 10k at Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca)?

Running even part of the NIPMUCK course would be good experience for a future running of the marathon... and there was that rumor that this might be Nipmuck Dave's last year as RD...

On the other hand, if I know I haven't a prayer of finishing... maybe it would be better to use the weekend to run a race I wouldn't otherwise have the chance to do, since typically my plan is to run NIPMUCK the first Sunday in June.

Sigh. I know that if this is the toughest decision I have to make in the near future, I've got it pretty darn good... but that still leaves me wondering what to do...

Stay tuned.

JMH