DFL - Why being a klutz is good for trail running

Maudite dernière place - Pourquoi être maladroit est bon pour la course en sentiers - Version française ici

I am a klutz. Keep fragile stuff away from me... it will be destroyed. If it's in my way, I will fall over it. If I avoid it, I will fall over whatever I did not see right next to it. So what the hell was this klutz doing on Oct 15th 2011 in Orford, Quebec, climbing a frikking mountain with trails full of mud, rocks and roots. (My friend Eric documented his run on the race the same day here)


I asked the same thing myself after falling on my butt, knees and other body parts a few times during my 21 km run. It took me 4 hours and 40 minutes to stagger up and down that mountain. I thought it would register me as a DNF (Did not finish) as they had a cutoff of 4 hours and 30 minutes. It seems I got lucky as my time was entered manually after I crossed the inactive carpet and so did one more person who sneaked in 5 minutes after me.

I'm thinking that since I knew I was a klutz and after falling way too many times, I just had to go slowly or be seriously injured. Here I am two days later feeling a bit tired, a few aches and pains here and there BUT planning on doing it all over again. The best part is, my body will let me. I want to be like Fauja Singh. He completed the Toronto Marathon on Oct 16th 2011 at 100 years old. I want to be able to still do the crazy things I do in 60 years. So looks like I have to go slowly. That's my solution... do as many crazy things you want to, just go slowly and appreciate it.