MFR 18: DNF Means "Do Nothing Foolish!"
Mojo For Running Podcast
debbie voiles
4.9 • 555 Ratings
🗓️ 18 January 2014
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Have you heard the term "DNF"? Veteran runners will know that DNF stands for "Did Not Finish," three somewhat unpleasant words for every runner of every level. It is super tough for any runner to imagine stopping, not finishing. Many of us remember the famous scene from one of the 1982 Ironman World Triathlon in […]
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, this is Debbie Boyle's coach at Mojo for Running. The title of this episode is DNF. |
| 0:07.3 | We're all familiar with those three letters, DNF. They either mean did not finish or do nothing foolish. |
| 0:15.7 | Whichever they represent in the given use, it's always serious. Some would say always sad, but I don't think so. |
| 0:23.7 | My daughter and I did a trail race a few days ago, the Kroom Zoom, in one of our favorite locations. |
| 0:30.1 | Race options were a 25K, 50K, and 100K. Well, Wendy had completed her first 50K just a couple of months ago and had planned on doing the 50K in this race. |
| 0:42.4 | But at this time of year, she ends up working lots of overtime. So between holiday activities and overtime, she hadn't gotten in the requisite training. |
| 0:52.3 | She worried about it, thought it over, and decided to |
| 0:56.0 | DNF, do nothing foolish. She wanted to do that 50K so badly, but she knew it would be a mistake. |
| 1:05.0 | So instead, she did the 25K, and she made the right decision. I'd say that was a victory itself of sorts, because she did the 25K, and she made the right decision. |
| 1:15.7 | I'd say that was a victory itself of sorts, because she did the wise thing. |
| 1:17.3 | To me, that's always a victory. |
| 1:23.2 | Most often when we hear DNF, the speaker means did not finish. |
| 1:31.0 | Personally, I think most runners absolutely, positively, will do anything they can to finish a race. |
| 1:33.8 | Runners tend not to be quitters. |
| 1:42.5 | If a person cares enough to enter a race, pay the registration fee, train for the race, and show up on race morning, |
| 1:45.9 | then that person is not going to quit during the race unless there is a good reason. I would never call that person a loser or, as I've heard too often, |
| 1:53.1 | a quitter. I'd say when anybody doesn't finish a race, they're plenty sorry they had to DNF on that day. Usually, it's because of an |
| 2:04.1 | injury, and sometimes it's not because they can't finish, but rather because it's in their |
| 2:10.0 | best judgment wiser to stop rather than do or risk further damage. When someone stops DNFs, for that reason, they're actually demonstrating restraint and |
| 2:22.1 | wisdom, not weakness. |
| 2:24.7 | If that's ever you, if you are ever in a race and you need to stop because of an injury, |
| 2:30.5 | I say do it and do not feel like a quitter. |
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