I'm glad I didn't finish the Autumn 100 ultra-marathon

Love running with my Ridgeway peeps

I was half expecting to be angry at myself. Why go so far and then stop? I'd run 75 miles, and had a flat marathon to go and then it would be over. If I finished I'd have another medal (and I love medals) and I'd be able to slap the backs of my fellow runners with equal glory and everything would be fine.

But I asked myself a question and then took a decision that ended my race, and surprisingly, I never felt any real regret or anger at myself.

Why I run

If I look back at my life, I chose to run for several reasons:

1. My friends were playing tag and I wanted to join in with them
2. It was cheap and I could run in any conditions with any gear
3. I was good at it
4. I noticed that I lost weight
5. I thought it was the right thing to do for my overall health

Why I signed up for the Autumn 100

1. Because at the end I get a medal
2. I love the reactions from people when I tell them I'm running 100 miles
3. I love the reaction from people when they realise that people, in general, can run that far
4. It makes me stand out
5. I get to meet great people and hear a bit about them
6. I'm keeping up with my running friends on their adventures
7. I don't want to say no
8. I don't want to be left out

Gotta beat Jimmy to that photo opportunity

If I compare the honest truths of the points above then I can see a clear line between what might be considered a healthy social outlook to one that's somewhat selfish, sensitive and with something to prove. I'm not sure I've explained myself well enough here, but overall I feel as if I'm running for the wrong reasons.

I can't say exactly when the switch occurred. I'm also not saying all of the points above are right or wrong, and I'm sure they change for each run as well, but I knew when I was sitting in the chair in Goring I couldn't use the ultra-marathon points to generate motivation to get up and go*. 

So that's why, just for me, I'm glad that I DNF'd

For me to admit defeat and walk away from an easy-ish victory is a big thing for me. I'd finally asked the question, 'why am I doing this?' and I came up blank. And that was the decision made. No pressure, no desire for a trinket and a t-shirt I'll never use. No success social media posting. No 'business-as-usual' Sean's done it again. Nope, this time I was honest with what my feelings had said and I'd have to face that I, Sean Parry, knowingly allowed myself to fail.

For me, that's huge.

Still love a good run and a good photographer

But, I still had a great time

• I got to spend hours, and hours, with good friends to share stories, trivia and experiences that otherwise I would never have got a chance to know
• I saw familiar faces and felt genuine joy knowing they were out there too
• I got to see a bunch of the countryside I'd not seen before
• I ran 75 miles and came away with a few blisters. Go body!

How will this event affect my future running event decisions?

I won't run the Ridgeway again anytime soon, that's for sure. I hate that trail.

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* Well technically that's a lie. I'd asked myself the question of why I was doing this. Came up blank. Took the decision, but waited for a friend. If fates had aligned, then I would have ran in support of that friend, and I was even annoyed that I left them before**, but as the hour slipped by I was resigned to my decision and stepped out of the race.

** Call me sentimental, silly or creepy, but when I saw my friend, who had taken the decision to not carry on the run but did so anyway, come up only a few miles behind me I was half-tempted to turn and run with them adding the extra miles to my run. A little fantastical perhaps, but for me knowing that there's someone out there that's willing to go that extra mile in support of someone, anyone, is a deeply held belief for me. How different would our runs have been had I made that decision? And on a similar note, that's why I think volunteers who are giving up their time are simply awesome.

Garmin data for the nerds (75 miles of 100)

Still a bloomin' long way

Howies Run Shorts are the best shorts for ultra-marathons that I've ever tried

I don't usually do product reviews for clothes as they either work or they don't. But when you run an ultra-marathon what might work fine for a regular run or even a full marathon can quite literally fall apart at the seams on a run 4 times as long.

I've tried many different shorts over the years, mainly from Nike, but also from Adidas and Salomon too. They've all been running shorts and they've all served me very well in training and on shorter events.

When using them on an ultra however, even 50 milers, I've often found that I have to make sacrifices, such as more frequently adding lubrication to the nether regions or adjusting my running gait so that I'm not rubbing material against a part of me. Overall they've completed their purpose to hide my nether regions from the eyes of others and kept them warm and dry too, but always at a price. And they've always meant an uncomfortable few days post-race recovery with the familiar penguin waddle.

The shorts ride a little, but you don't particularly notice it

(goofy gait and arm swing, models own)

Enter the Howies Men's Run Short

These are different. Firstly, they only come in black and offer 4 sizes. I'm a medium (32 - 34" waist). They're also quite 'floofy' as they have an excess of material around the crotch area. Which at first looks odd and can be somewhat distracting. However, when out running, they are not only very comfortable, but best of all they are the least distracting too.

The inner short means that you don't have to wear separate under-wear and everything stays 'tucked-in' like you would expect perhaps from a set of snug boxer shorts. There's no movement, but the material is soft and comfortable and friction free.

Centurion Running North Downs Way 100 2017

I ran the NDW100 this year and went through a few different types of weather (bright sun, humid cover and pouring rain) and with temperatures ranging from 10 at night to just over 25 during the day. Not too extreme a temperature change, but notable when you're the one running through them.

And the shorts shrugged it all off. I did apply a generous helping of Vaseline to the nethers at the start, and usually I'd have to re-apply during the run and change my gait, but this time I had to do neither. They remained itch and scratch free the entire time. There was no build up of heat-spots and what was even more impressive was that there was no discomfort post-race.

Merino run vest is light,

wicks well and remains super comfortable.
I have 4 of these vests they're that good

I have 3 sets of these shorts and at first I suspected that the all-polyster construction would leave these as training-only shorts, but I took a punt with them on some longer runs and haven't used anything else since.

Matching running vest

A great one-two combo is to match the shorts with a Howies Merino vest or top. I've got a bunch of different merino tops from Howies and they're easily the best run tops I've had. In fact, I probably should have written a dedicated post just for them.

Howies stock

Howies are a wonderful company. They're ethical, care about the environment and the products they make, but are always offering new clothing lines. Which has led me to panic that the 2 sets I have may be the last I'll ever have. As soon as they're back in stock, I'll be ordering more.

Check whether they have your size in stock for the shorts and for the running vests.

Worth noting that I'm not a Howies ambassador, I didn't get anything for free and no one asked me to write this. I genuinely believe they offer the best short for running an ultra-marathon that I've ever tested.