I have always been the most athletic guy in school and college. I don’t remember a single competition where I did not place in the top 3. Last year, I decided to do both a marathon and an ultramarathon and it was like a stroll in the park.
This is not how it happened. I was never the athletic cool kid and never in my distant dreams I thought of becoming one. However, in my own journey of completing an ultramarathon last year, I realized ultramarathons gave the mundane life meaning. The quotes I just collected, read and re-read started to explain themselves. The following is an attempt to sum my own experiences of completing an ultramarathon and reasons to continue on that journey.
Discipline is Everything – Ultramarathons are hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Statistically, less than 0.001% of people in the world ever compete and complete an ultramarathon. During my training, I realized the importance of discipline and choice. No one forced me to run. No one can run for me. It was my goal to complete the ultramarathon and I had to make the choices every day. My experiences taught me that deep down, everyone knows what they truly want. It all comes down to the choices we make – good food or sugar, movie night or early bedtime for the next day training, to sleep in or wake up and train. Completing an ultra requires mental fortitude and discipline in every aspect of life and you will have to learn those to achieve your goals. As Mike Tyson said – “Discipline is doing things you hate to do, but doing it like you love it”.
Discomfort & Pain – People often confuse pain and discomfort, but they are very different. Discomfort is waking up at 5:30 AM for a run when it’s still dark, cold, and windy outside, and completing 20 km before starting your day job. Pain is different. Pain is…let me give you an example. I was training at Mt Sutro while preparing for the ultramarathon at Mt Tam. One day, I unfortunately stepped on a broken tree branch. My left ankle made a ‘click’ sound and I followed with a loud scream. I was out of water and alone. That’s pain when you are just unable to move and don’t know how you are going to get home. Discomfort gives you a choice, pain doesn’t. Through my training for ultramarathon, I learned to embrace both.
Ultramarathon transforms you – An ultramarathon won’t merely change your short-term behavior; it will transform you. You won’t need another self-help book to get you to the gym. You won’t need another motivational speech to wake up early and take care of yourself. An ultramarathon transforms you. It teaches you to care for your body and mind. It helps you to outgrow pain and discomfort, sacrifice the present for the future, and aim for higher goals in every aspect of life.
Best version of yourself – Training for an ultramarathon changes you physically. You become the most flexible, strongest, leanest, and fittest version of yourself, and once you embark on that path, there’s no going back.
I made all sorts of excuses this year – writing a book this year and don’t have the time or work commitments won’t allow me to train. But all those faded away when I went on my first run last month. So this year, I’ll be on the trails again for 50 km and a 50 mile ultra. I truly believe that it’s a privilege that I have the mindset and support of people around to help me attain these goals.
While I don’t recommend signing up for an ultramarathon right away, I do urge you to take that first step. Start with a short run for a week and cultivate the habit of striving for goals bigger than yourself. You may never know what you are capable of.
I hope this post inspires you to aim for targets that seem unattainable at present. I hope that you will realize your full potential and see what your mind and body are capable of. I hope to see you at the finish line having become the best version of yourself in your journey to completing an ultramarathon.