Life Lessons from an Ultra Marathon 2

Marathon running is often used as an allegory for life. While it serves this purpose well I find that another distance is even more appropriate – the ultra marathon.

This year I ran my first ultra, in fact I ran three in a month. The first was the 35 mile Shires and Spires followed a few weeks later by the Round the Isle of Wight race which consisted of 39 and 31 miles back to back over a weekend.

During the hours I was jogging and the many more hours in ice baths and recovery I reflected on the lessons that could be learnt and applied to my life.

The first was We are not alone. This time I shall look at Enjoying the journey.

2. Enjoying the journey.

The first time I ran a Marathon my goal was simply to finish. Since then I have always aimed to complete the distance in a certain time. In my head I know that I can go the distance but now it is all about how quickly I can get to the end. I have a time in my head - usually a PB - and I run with that goal in mind. 

Entering an Ultra Marathon was very different. I had no idea if I could even run such a distance let alone what time I was going to finish in. In many ways this made it much less daunting. Sure there was the unknown concerning the length of the race but I knew if I had to I could walk it.

Walking up that hill

Without the pressure of having to run at a set speed it was much easier to enjoy the race. In an Ultra it is acceptable to run at a steady, even slow pace and to walk up any hills. In fact if you attempt to run up a hill people will often shake their heads knowing that they will be passing that person further down the line. 

I found one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of Ultra running was stopping myself from going to fast at the beginning when the adrenaline was surging around my body and I was full of latent energy.

The key to completing an Ultra Marathon is to pace yourself and not worry about the speed other people are doing. It's a classic case of the hare and the tortoise. It's wise to stop at the checkpoints and take time to refuel, rehydrate and stretch. Later on you will be glad that you did.

With the pressure off the run becomes all the more enjoyable as you are able to look around, take in the scenery, appreciate the views and strike up conversations with those around you.

When you have the time to look around you can notice things that you would otherwise have missed; a bird of prey soaring overhead, farm animals in the surrounding fields, beautiful architecture on buildings lining the route. It is no coincidence that most Ultra Marathons are held in scenic locations.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in life that we put our head down and rush through it. In doing so we can miss so much. Like an Ultra life is about the journey not the destination. From time to time it's good to life our head, to embrace the moment and to enjoy the scenery.