Thoughts on the Run

I struggle with the “following a plan” camp due to life’s distractions. You know, day job, wife, 4 kids, bills … the normal stuff. In the 3 months leading up to my first ultramarathon in Leadville, I hadn’t run more then 18 miles on a trail. Yet somehow I made it through 50 miles in the Silver Rush. I still look back and wonder how I made it through that with “little” training. Everyone I talk to about the race and I tell about training 25-30 miles a week for it look at me with disbelief. If what I’m doing is so wrong, why is it getting me to the finish line?

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”

– George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

Training is a funny thing. I know what to tell people about training for a marathon: make a plan, stick to it, and don’t overtrain for risk of injury. The only time I’ve come close to that is when I trained for my first marathon. I’m at a point where I have lost motivation in running even though I’ve set the goal of running the Leadville 100 next August. Conflicted between the real world and running.

Hearing those words from General Patton reminds me that the battle is won in my head. There will always be naysayers, distractors, and those that say I’m doing it wrong. I have to learn to let that outside guilt not become inside guilt.

Training for this mental battle happens everywhere. Whether it be coworkers that want to go out for drinks, new job offers coming in, the plethora of racing events I want to participate in, or the constant pressure to “do more” … there’s always an opportunity for mental training. At the end of the day, you have to be able to sleep. If any of the battles are weighing on your mind, it will not be a very good night of sleep.

I’ve been finding my 4 kids provide the best ultramarathon training for me. It’s not chasing them around, but being able to calm myself and remember on a global scale the impact.

My 7 year old daughter put pinholes in her door this weekend because she wanted to hang up pocket organizers for her new American Girl doll. Rather then yelling and getting worked up, we had a discussion about what that means to the look of the door and alternative solutions in the future.

My 2 year old daughter thought it would be fun to paint her arm, the chair, the wall, and table. It’s just paint and it’s normal for kids. She learned how to clean some of it and the rest went into the shower.

My 4 year old daughter decided to locate the fingernail polish, hide behind the living room chair, and see if she had a future working in a nail salon.

My 8 year old son filled a bowl full of Nutella and peanut butter together. Just to see what it’s like. He didn’t do much else with it, so it just sat there for a full day. Lots of fuel to waste. We talked about it and how other people view food.

This is just a fraction of a weekend. On one hand, it’s nice to know we have plenty of reasons to not buy nice and new furniture. At the same time, I like the constant challenge. It gives me a chance to remember while some people don’t have a home, worry about their next meal, and have no positive influence in their lives, I have the choice to make a change. So what if there’s paint on the table or a small hole in a bedroom door … such is life. Our life shouldn’t be about always being perfect, but trying new things. You can strive to be perfect, but “perfect” means something different to everyone, so how do you achieve it?

Live in the moment and before you react, check to see if it really matters on the overall picture.