Hey guys!

Today’s post is going to be a bit different. Since I missed my race last weekend and am 100% happy with the decision, I thought I’d post on some of the reasons why it might make sense to back out of a race.

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1. You are injured. This was the reason I backed out. While I MAY have been able to tough it out, it simply wasn’t worth it, and running has felt 100% better.

2. You risk serious injury. This can apply to a lot of things. I was worried that with my limpy gait, I was going to get a secondary injury, or even a stress fracture. This could even apply to poor running conditions. If your race is on a muddy trail during a rainstorm and you are prone to slipping, it might make sense to back out.

3. Extreme weather, especially if you aren’t trained in it. If you trained in 60 degree weather all season and then show up to 100 degree temps on race day, it might make sense to rethink whether or not the race would be safe.

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4. You are sick. While sometimes you can push through an illness, a lot of times it isn’t worth it to tough out a miserable race, leaving you more ill than before.

5. Life gets in the way. Maybe it’s a family thing, maybe it’s a huge opportunity. While training for a race may be a big part of life, it isn’t all of life. Sometimes it needs to take a backseat.

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Have you ever skipped a race? Why?

6 comments on “Reasons to Back Out of a Race

  1. Elsie @ Sharing Healthiness

    I am one who thinks my body can go through anything. My body is strong and will respond but that is not always the case. Definitely need to listen more to my body.

    1. astottler Post author

      It is definitely a learning process. There are times when you can push through it and there are times when you shouldn’t!

  2. Sky @ Blonde Freedom

    Aww I’m sorry you missed out on your race, but evidently you know what was best for you! This is reminder that taking a break for my foot really is a good decision.

    1. astottler Post author

      I promise it will be worth it!

  3. Catie @ Mangoes Margarita

    That stinks to miss out on a race you’ve been looking forward to, but good you knew it was best! I got into the NYC Marathon this year through the lottery, and hurt my knee from running too fast in a half a few months later… I’ve been stressing on what to do! I know I can’t run it (esp from your points #1 and #2) but have been debating on walking it. I walk several miles every day so I’m not concerned on the physical aspect, but am afraid the other runners would be angry there’s a walker on the course. And that I’ll get hungry haha…

    Following you on bloglovin for more posts!

    1. astottler Post author

      Thanks! And that’s terrible! I think you should totally walk it if that’s what you want to do-don’t worry about other runners as long as you start in a back corral! Although you would DEFINITELY get hungry-that’s a long walk!

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