After sharing “What I learned from running an ultra” it’s time to be fair and admit what I didn’t learn. Because honestly, I just ran (and walked) 31 miles, one time. I didn’t engineer alternative fuel, broker Middle Eastern peace, or reach total enlightenment.
I did not learn:
- How to add more hours to your day to do what you love. Sorry, you’ll just have to skip other responsibilities, such as work, like I did.
- How to be a better person, parent, spouse, or friend. If anything I was more selfish with what free time I had and even more self-interested than usual.
- How to be faster and stronger and make 20 miles feel like 10 with minimal fuss or muss.
- Any new, profound, and/or unique wisdom that you can’t already find summed up on a motivational poster, like the one at right.
- A better reason than “because I really wanted to and thought it would be fun” to explain why I was doing an ultra.
But that’s OK, because those were exactly the right reasons. Running an ultra was fun, in the warped sense that I expected. I ran kind of far, stopped once I reached the end, and then had a beer and a cupcake. Not a bad day. What more would you want… except maybe a 50-miler?
p.s. If you’re looking for useful, relevant ultra advice, check out Bryon Powell’s site irunfar.com and his book, Relentless Forward Progress.
Originally published November 12, 2011, over on One Day in Maine