At midnight this morning I embarked on my first ultra-marathon. The event was held in the desert, two and a half miles outside of Las Vegas. While I knew that it would be a challenging run, I had no idea what I was getting in to.
A typical marathon will bring you up and down many times over, giving you periods of challenge and relief. You can physically see high points along the way and set periodic goals for yourself like “get to the top of this hill”. This run was different. The first 13 miles were uphill, in the dark with no end in sight. There was no horizon, nothing to fixate on, no way of knowing when relief would finally come. My timer broke right before the race. My ipod gave up on me an hour into the trek. It was lonely. Isolated. I hated not being able to see the road ahead or understand the pace at which I was progressing. I felt like it would never end.
The Dark Road
On the bus ride home I couldn’t help but reflect on what I had just endured. This run seemed to parallel so many facets of life. At times we all feel like we are on a dark road, running uphill towards the unknown. Sometimes we put ourselves on that road, and other times the sun sets around us. Either way it is an uneasy feeling to run into the abyss.
Perseverance
I know a lot of people are dealing with their own uphill battles right now. Unemployment and foreclosures are off the charts. The fallout from the economy is tearing apart lives, relationships and impacting personal health. But I am here to tell you that there is hope. No hill goes on for eternity… even the longest hill eventually breaks. It may be tough to remember that when you can’t see the top, but I promise it is there. If you keep running you will eventually make it over the crest.
Run Harder
The only way to reach the top of your personal hill faster is to run harder. Don’t slow down. Don’t let the darkness disorient you. Don’t lose focus. Don’t let the little setbacks cause you to give up and walk. Visualize yourself reaching the top and imagine how good it will feel coasting down the other side. You can get through this. You own this hill.
Hey Ted, I’m guessing by the badge that you did complete the ultra marathon so kudos and congratulations. I’m just working up to my first half marathon in a few more weeks, got a long way to go before an ultra but that is the goal. 🙂 One of the things I love about running is how uncomplicated it is. Just put one foot in front of the other and repeat, but I can definitely appreciate how not being able to see your own progress with accelerate the mind games. After all that’s one of the things that makes the rest of life so difficult sometimes. My grandmother always says that she can do anything if she can see an end to it. Hell Superman generally always had an easy go of it because he could make an end of something in just a few seconds. But us mere mortals sometimes have to kick in that extra hero gear when there is no end in sight.
Twitter Comment
Congrats on Finishing! 🙂 @tedmurphy All Hills Break : Perspective after my ultra-marathon [link to post]
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Ted – congratulations! What an inspiring post. I like the parallels you drew with running & life.
I am finishing up the Couch to 5K program this week and it seems like everywhere I turn there are runners. I love it!
Keep on keepin’ on. 🙂
Thanks, Ted – awesome message! Second time I’ve heard this ‘same message’ today – it’s getting cemented into me now! Great job on this crazy marathon – totally amazing. I just love your inspiring attitude!
And you know what, after all these years of looking at you and your crazy mouth, this is the first time I’ve noticed that you have ‘map tongue’!! My oldest son has it, too. Too funny I never noticed!
I’m not sure why I’m reading this tonight for the first time, but it’s just what I needed. Profound and inspiring: my hat is tipped to you. Let me know if you’re planning any training runs next weekend, we should hit the road together during the M3 Summit. See you in Atlanta!