Why and How Do You Run 50 Miles?
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Growing our commitment muscle is arguably the most significant lever of success we have the power to enforce. Yet so many of us commit to an end goal at the cost of suffering through the journey.
If the process of achieving a goal feels like suffering rather than hard work, we might want to reconsider that goal.
My last blog delved into the profound meaning and value that commitment brings to our lives. We must first understand the distinction between doing hard things and suffering; only then can we address commitment.
A recurring question I’m asked is, “ Why and how do you run 50 miles?”
The short answer is that I do it because the process, not the actual goal (whether achieved or not), changes me into a better version of myself. The process elevates my character by requiring me to practice the following life principles daily:
- Commitment
- Consistency
- Humility
- Connection
- Grit
- Resilience
- Discipline
- Emotional Regulation
- Sleep Hygiene
- Fueling and Hydration
- Future Self Practice
One of my teachers, Jim Lohr, once said, “More important than what you achieve is who you become as a consequence of the chase.”
Who I become in the process of training for an Ultramarathon is valuable. But there’s another reason—one that is arguably far more life-changing. And that’s how I relate to the world as I regularly immerse myself in nature by training on trails and mountains.
Mary Oliver, in her poem, A Thousand Mornings, puts it best:
“Foolishness? No, It’s Not.
Sometimes, I spend all day trying to count the leaves on a single tree. To do this I have to climb branch by branch and write down the numbers in a little book. So I suppose, from their point of view, it’s reasonable that my friends say: what foolishness! She’s got her head in the clouds again.
But it’s not. Of course I have to give up, but by then I’m half crazy with the wonder of it—the abundance of the leaves, the quietness of the branches, the hopelessness of my effort. And I am in that delicious and important place, roaring with laughter, full of earth-praise.”
You see, the race just gives me a reason to count all the leaves on the tree!
By now, I have counted so many leaves on so many trees for so many days that my reward is no longer whether I complete my effort.
Yes, like everyone else, I want to finish. There is joy, pride, and celebration in finishing.
But to be “half crazy with the wonder of it…” and “full of earth-praise” is what drives me.
For me, every step in the mountains—as difficult as some may be—is a blessing and a gift.
Come race day, I just try to step faster and longer.
