Haven’t updated you on any of my ultra training so I thought I’d do that!
I’m currently registered for an ultra (30 plus miles) trail run and a city marathon (26.2 miles).
My training consists of lifting weights at the gym and outdoor running. I hate running on the treadmill but if I have to I will.
This time of year means that I’m getting into the beginning of my longer runs. Longer runs mean that you have to get accustomed to suffering. Seriously, to run long distances you need to get comfortable with suffering.
So for motivation this week I thought I’d leave you with some quotes from Dean Karnazes, known as the ultra marathon man.
“Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself – expanding and learning as you go – you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
“People think I’m crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness. Dostoyevsky had it right: ‘Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.’ Never are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in. There is a magic in misery. Just ask any runner.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
“Most people never get there. They’re afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not constantly demanding more from yourself–expanding and learning as you go–your choosing a numb existence. Your denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
So quit reading already and go run!