Unfinished Business: How to Embrace the DNF

Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

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4.6 • 931 Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Lots of runners fear the DNF (Did Not Finish) but you don’t have to. On today’s show, Cory and Hayley discuss why you should embrace the DNF.

In this episode we talk about:

When to consider a DNF
Why pro runners DNF so often in races
How to get back to the finish or back home if you DNF
Adjusting your running goals after a DNF
Overcoming mental challenges like anxiety and disappointment when a run doesn’t go as planned
Why embracing the DNF can help you to perform better in races

After months of training you may understandably feel disappointed or frustrated with a DNF.

We’re here to tell you that embracing and maybe even planning for the possibility of a DNF will help you to come back stronger. Listen to the show to find out how.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	One of the main things I want to kind of get across is that sort of feeling that a DNF isn't a failure.
0:07.9	It doesn't have to be thought of as a failure and it doesn't define you as a person or a runner.
0:12.7	And it's something that most people experience at some point.
0:18.5	Maybe the most dreaded word a runner can hear is DNF, short for did not finish.
0:24.1	The thought of dropping out, after spending months training for your goal race, can give a lot
0:29.0	of runners, including myself, anxiety and stress. But maybe it doesn't have to. I'll be honest,
0:35.1	I didn't even know what happens when you DNF until 2023 when it happened to me for the first time.
0:40.2	But there's actually a lot of good reasons why you should be more prepared than I was.
0:44.8	Coach Haley joins me on today's show to explain how embracing the DNF has actually helped her to perform better in races,
0:51.3	but removing some of the fear and worry of dropping out.
0:55.6	Over the next 50-ish minutes, we'll talk about why runners are so fearful of DNFing a race, as well as when to consider
1:00.4	DNFing, and how to bounce back if you make that call. So let's get into it. Hello, runners, and welcome to the Run to the Top podcast, where our goal is making you a better runner with each and every episode.
1:21.6	I'm your showrunner, Corey Nagler, and I'm not an elite runner, but together we'll explore new strategies and topics to take your running to the next level.
1:29.6	This podcast is created and produced by the expert team of coaches at runnersconnect.net,
1:34.5	where you can find the best running information on the internet, as well as training plans to fit every runner and every budget.
1:42.5	I think usually we have pretty positive topics on the show, Haley, so I hope we don't scare any listeners away when we say that we're talking about DNFs.
1:51.2	But how did you feel when you heard about this topic?
1:54.2	Yeah, I mean, I think a DNF can be positive as well.
1:57.9	I don't think it has to be all bad.
1:59.6	I think I finished my first ultra over 50K in January
2:05.0	after two attempts which resulted in a DNF and I'm pretty sure that those DNFs contributed to it
2:12.3	kind of going well eventually. So I think there's positive DNS as I'm sure we'll get, but I think, I think we can definitely put a positive spin on this one.
	...

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