So, I ran Tokyo on March 1st. I ended up getting swept at mile 18.1. I had a good training block and about an hour or so after my last long run before taper started getting a sore throat. I ended up sick with some virus. It wasn't the flu or covid but it sucked. The day before we flew to Japan I was at urgent care as my illness was rebounding and getting worse. I went to Tokyo with antibiotics and steroids. I never felt right the entire time we were in Japan, but when race day came around I felt well enough to start. I was running great for about the first 15K and then after that the wheels started coming off. Even without the strict cutoff points I don't think I could have finished the race that day. I finally felt like myself again about 2 weeks after the race. With the trip already paid for, and Tokyo not allowing deferments, I felt I had to go and attempt the race, even though I knew the chances were good that I would not be successful. Had the option to defer been available, I,likely would have quit that race to give it a go in 2027 instead.
This is such an interesting dilemma and I think it's something very personal and unique to an individual. I will try and explain.
As someone that has never been very good at knowing my limits or stopping, I have pushed through extreme pain and illness to do things more often than I can remember. It sounds like bragging and commendable. And often this has been the case. Making it to the end of a trail run with blood running down my leg after a tumble is more about hurt pride. Sometimes, the line between good and bad has been blurry. Having a chest infection and taking antibiotics in order to run an event may not be for everyone (there was no long term damage). Other times, it had been silly and potentially life threatening. That said, I only knew it in hindsight. I had no idea that I was doing 20km training runs with a 36cm blood clot in my leg and multiple clots in my lungs. That I was on the brink of a stroke. Perhaps I should've known that the inability to breathe a couple of times and the pain in my legs was not just delayed recovery from Paris Marathon.
I think we all have our own levels of pain and risk tolerance. Somehow we have to align that with making decisions about whether we continue or not. Personally I have trouble with using the terms "quitting" and "opting out". For most (competitive) people, that in itself gives a dubious message. I prefer thinking of it as equipping ourselves as best we can to make good decisions, particularly when judgement is a little clouded. It also means allowing ourselves to make choices that may not reflect as well on social media.
I ran a marathon where I finished last in 7 hours. I did not quit. I got lost and had to go poop at mile 17, but the last port-a-potty was at mile 15. I started walking, and I passed a guy cutting his grass. He asked me if I was in the marathon, and I asked him if I could use his bathroom. The paramedics asked him to check on me. I started out. I took second in my age group. I have the plaque mounted on my wall. I ran several half marathons while undergoing chemo for lymphoma. I also rode in an ambulance at the end of two of them from dehydration. While undergoing chemo for leukemia, I took my IV pole (which I named George) and walked around the nurse's station at the M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Three times a day, 10 laps, covered 3 miles.
Personally, I admire the bravery and strength of those who decide to opt out or quit based on a personal decision making process. I quit a very good job about 8 years ago. It was a tough decision but I knew I would be happier going forward. Thank goodness it all worked out and I have never regretted it.
As far as participating in endurance events, I have quit a long distance cross country ski event when I realized that I just was not up to the distance. I had not slept well in the days leading up to the race and I knew I did not have the energy and resolve to finish it and enjoy the process.
On the other hand, I know of an ultra race that I really want to drop out but I was too far in and there was not a good stopping point. I just kept going. Somehow. Circumstances forced me to continue. I finished the race but it was not a pretty picture.
The great benefit of running is the self empowerment that comes from demonstrating to yourself that you can marshall the resolve to finish. But this means taking on risk, because discomfort and efforts are signals about risk. Therefore, too much grit can produce negative expected outcomes, which is not good. I find it often helps to explicitly define "exit rules," for example, I will quit to avoid serious injury etc., which may well be different for A and B events. I wrote about the concept of risk taking in my piece https://thelongbrownpath.com/2025/11/19/smart-grit-stupid-grit-old-grit-young-grit/
This is super interesting… I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, because we tend to view this (or get exhorted to) in a binary way, where quitting is always presented negatively. But sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves about what we can actually do, you know? “Sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone,” as they say. Will definitely check out the link 👍
The title immediately brought to mind this week’s Coconono 250. So many stories of people winning over their doubts. So many other stories, not of quitting, but of pushing yourself to the nth degree and having to surrender. And a woman was the overall winner and course record holder who conquered her doubts and did not quit.
That race WAS amazing; I didn't follow it in real time, but hearing about it since the weekend, it sounds like I missed something pretty special. Rachel Entrekin is just flat-out amazing.
I saw small Facebook updates, I had a sense of how the race was unfolding. But seeing her Running in town and then sprinting the last little bit was incredible. And she was smiling the whole time.
Depends on the why, who I am doing this for, and will there be a sense of satisfaction for me at the end. But first, when I'm thinking of opting out - I consider what i can do different to find that satisfaction. If nothing, then I'm done!
I had a miserable marathon, devastating mentally and physically. Wasn't going to do that ever again. I was done! Then, I took the time to figure out what was missing/wrong. I answered those questions, I registered for another marathon. It was perfect "for me". Will I do another one? Doubt it. I enjoy long runs, just not that long. Now I'm looking forward to a decade of half marathons.
I will say first - in running - I also took a bad fall (broken bones, teeth, surgery...), and I have gained so much from *not* quitting.
my running comeback is 2+ years in the making, and it's been hard. but I'm so glad I *didn't* quit.
But your question actually made me think of a work situation:
I was struggling, and it felt so hard. Of course I thought the problem was me (and of course, it was! at least partially..). But I couldn't figure out how to make it better. It was just a bad fit - but I believed I could, through the force of my will, change it.
I couldn't.
I remember that one day, on my way home, I just heard a voice, loud and clear in my head: 'I'm done'. It was the truth.
After that, I felt so calm. Even though I didn't have another job - or any prospects for one! And even though it took a few more weeks - I resigned, and headed out to the unknown.
This is such a great example, Cathie. And, I’d bet, an experience most of us go through at some point. I know I did in my first marriage; you describe how I felt perfectly, in fact! It took quitting (for both of us) to see the truth: that this wasn’t working and would *never* work. And we both felt a huge sense of relief after.
So, I ran Tokyo on March 1st. I ended up getting swept at mile 18.1. I had a good training block and about an hour or so after my last long run before taper started getting a sore throat. I ended up sick with some virus. It wasn't the flu or covid but it sucked. The day before we flew to Japan I was at urgent care as my illness was rebounding and getting worse. I went to Tokyo with antibiotics and steroids. I never felt right the entire time we were in Japan, but when race day came around I felt well enough to start. I was running great for about the first 15K and then after that the wheels started coming off. Even without the strict cutoff points I don't think I could have finished the race that day. I finally felt like myself again about 2 weeks after the race. With the trip already paid for, and Tokyo not allowing deferments, I felt I had to go and attempt the race, even though I knew the chances were good that I would not be successful. Had the option to defer been available, I,likely would have quit that race to give it a go in 2027 instead.
This is such an interesting dilemma and I think it's something very personal and unique to an individual. I will try and explain.
As someone that has never been very good at knowing my limits or stopping, I have pushed through extreme pain and illness to do things more often than I can remember. It sounds like bragging and commendable. And often this has been the case. Making it to the end of a trail run with blood running down my leg after a tumble is more about hurt pride. Sometimes, the line between good and bad has been blurry. Having a chest infection and taking antibiotics in order to run an event may not be for everyone (there was no long term damage). Other times, it had been silly and potentially life threatening. That said, I only knew it in hindsight. I had no idea that I was doing 20km training runs with a 36cm blood clot in my leg and multiple clots in my lungs. That I was on the brink of a stroke. Perhaps I should've known that the inability to breathe a couple of times and the pain in my legs was not just delayed recovery from Paris Marathon.
I think we all have our own levels of pain and risk tolerance. Somehow we have to align that with making decisions about whether we continue or not. Personally I have trouble with using the terms "quitting" and "opting out". For most (competitive) people, that in itself gives a dubious message. I prefer thinking of it as equipping ourselves as best we can to make good decisions, particularly when judgement is a little clouded. It also means allowing ourselves to make choices that may not reflect as well on social media.
I ran a marathon where I finished last in 7 hours. I did not quit. I got lost and had to go poop at mile 17, but the last port-a-potty was at mile 15. I started walking, and I passed a guy cutting his grass. He asked me if I was in the marathon, and I asked him if I could use his bathroom. The paramedics asked him to check on me. I started out. I took second in my age group. I have the plaque mounted on my wall. I ran several half marathons while undergoing chemo for lymphoma. I also rode in an ambulance at the end of two of them from dehydration. While undergoing chemo for leukemia, I took my IV pole (which I named George) and walked around the nurse's station at the M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Three times a day, 10 laps, covered 3 miles.
Personally, I admire the bravery and strength of those who decide to opt out or quit based on a personal decision making process. I quit a very good job about 8 years ago. It was a tough decision but I knew I would be happier going forward. Thank goodness it all worked out and I have never regretted it.
As far as participating in endurance events, I have quit a long distance cross country ski event when I realized that I just was not up to the distance. I had not slept well in the days leading up to the race and I knew I did not have the energy and resolve to finish it and enjoy the process.
On the other hand, I know of an ultra race that I really want to drop out but I was too far in and there was not a good stopping point. I just kept going. Somehow. Circumstances forced me to continue. I finished the race but it was not a pretty picture.
The great benefit of running is the self empowerment that comes from demonstrating to yourself that you can marshall the resolve to finish. But this means taking on risk, because discomfort and efforts are signals about risk. Therefore, too much grit can produce negative expected outcomes, which is not good. I find it often helps to explicitly define "exit rules," for example, I will quit to avoid serious injury etc., which may well be different for A and B events. I wrote about the concept of risk taking in my piece https://thelongbrownpath.com/2025/11/19/smart-grit-stupid-grit-old-grit-young-grit/
This is super interesting… I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, because we tend to view this (or get exhorted to) in a binary way, where quitting is always presented negatively. But sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves about what we can actually do, you know? “Sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone,” as they say. Will definitely check out the link 👍
For those that don't want to read the whole book Freakonomics did a podcast on the upside of quitting 5 years ago. Stuck with me https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-upside-of-quitting-3/
You're welcome. I'm an infrequent listener now but in 2021 I was can't miss. Speaking of quitting, I've done that to a lot of podcasts.
Same!
Thanks for sharing this, Ed! I used to listen to their podcast all the time. Will definitely check this out 👍
The title immediately brought to mind this week’s Coconono 250. So many stories of people winning over their doubts. So many other stories, not of quitting, but of pushing yourself to the nth degree and having to surrender. And a woman was the overall winner and course record holder who conquered her doubts and did not quit.
That race WAS amazing; I didn't follow it in real time, but hearing about it since the weekend, it sounds like I missed something pretty special. Rachel Entrekin is just flat-out amazing.
I saw small Facebook updates, I had a sense of how the race was unfolding. But seeing her Running in town and then sprinting the last little bit was incredible. And she was smiling the whole time.
Depends on the why, who I am doing this for, and will there be a sense of satisfaction for me at the end. But first, when I'm thinking of opting out - I consider what i can do different to find that satisfaction. If nothing, then I'm done!
I had a miserable marathon, devastating mentally and physically. Wasn't going to do that ever again. I was done! Then, I took the time to figure out what was missing/wrong. I answered those questions, I registered for another marathon. It was perfect "for me". Will I do another one? Doubt it. I enjoy long runs, just not that long. Now I'm looking forward to a decade of half marathons.
TOTALLY hear you on that, JeanMarie. I've run 3 marathons, and I'm not sure 26.2 miles will ever be in my future again.
this is such a great topic - thanks, Terrell!
I will say first - in running - I also took a bad fall (broken bones, teeth, surgery...), and I have gained so much from *not* quitting.
my running comeback is 2+ years in the making, and it's been hard. but I'm so glad I *didn't* quit.
But your question actually made me think of a work situation:
I was struggling, and it felt so hard. Of course I thought the problem was me (and of course, it was! at least partially..). But I couldn't figure out how to make it better. It was just a bad fit - but I believed I could, through the force of my will, change it.
I couldn't.
I remember that one day, on my way home, I just heard a voice, loud and clear in my head: 'I'm done'. It was the truth.
After that, I felt so calm. Even though I didn't have another job - or any prospects for one! And even though it took a few more weeks - I resigned, and headed out to the unknown.
It was one of the best things I've ever done.
This is such a great example, Cathie. And, I’d bet, an experience most of us go through at some point. I know I did in my first marriage; you describe how I felt perfectly, in fact! It took quitting (for both of us) to see the truth: that this wasn’t working and would *never* work. And we both felt a huge sense of relief after.