Life Lessons from an Ultra Marathon 3

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. The second was Enjoying the journey. This time I will look at:

3. The goal is to finish.

One of the biggest differences between an ultra marathon and any other running distance is the fact that the finishing time doesn't matter. Every other race I have taken part in has had the challenge of setting a good time or beating my previous one. The infamous Personal Best is always lurking with its constant taunting refrain of ‘Can you beat me?’

An ultra however is not about the time. Obviously the quicker you finish the less time your feet are in contact with the floor, which is a good incentive to get through it faster; but the time itself is secondary to the fact that you have conquered the distance.

It is less about where you finish or how quickly you get to the end as on getting to the line and fulfilling your potential.

This means that you can spend more time viewing the scenery, stopping to refuel, talking to people and generally enjoying the experience. It is as much about the journey as the destination. I have run in half marathons and even full marathons and hardly remember a thing. My focus was on my pace, technique and sometimes I simply drifted into a daze. An ultra gives you the luxury of being able to take your time.

That's a lesson I am trying to apply to my own life. So often I race from one event or deadline to the next. Always with an eye on the next thing and sometimes missing out on today. I don't want to get to the end of my life, my life's ultimate destination, without having enjoyed the journey.