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.






Popular posts from this blog

A bridge too far?

-
Image
A post on Facebook caught my attention. This is how many of my running adventures begin. Bex Band, founder of the women's adventure community Love Her Wild had walked across all the bridges in Greater London. Obviously this meant the Thames River. Less obviously there are 33 bridges in total starting at Hampton Court and ending at Tower Bridge. Of these, 26 have pedestrian access and she had crossed them all. 'Hmm, that would make a good run' was my first thought. Seed planted. A couple of months later on a mild, bright January day I travelled to Richmond. My first run was Richmond parkrun with my friend Vicki and her pal Nicola. 3.1 miles, no dear and a warming coffee later, I ran the nine miles to Hampton Court. Twelve miles done and I was ready to start my run! My goal was to cross each bridge when I came to it. That meant crossing Hampton Bridge and a sign denoting entrance to Surrey before turning and re-crossing it to begin. Yes, I am a pedant. Hampton Court Bridge I
Read more

Bushy, crewing and an Epping ultra

-
Image
What a weekend. It involved some running, some supporting runners and a bit more running. Saturday dawned wet and windy. 300 runners were assembling in Wendover ready for a 43 mile run into London. The fields were boggy, the paths were waterlogged and it was cold. Well, what do you expect on January 8th. These hardcore runners set off while I was driving from east to west London. My first stop was Bushy Park. This, as many will know, was the birthplace of parkrun. On 2nd October 2004 13 runners completed the first 5k with support from Paul  and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt. 17 years later it is a global phenomenon. This was my running pilgrimage. I have wanted to run Bushy since I ran my first parkrun in September 2012. This would be my 291st. A gentle rain was falling as I parked up by the Diana Fountain just across from Hampton Court. To stretch my legs - and kill some time, I was an hour early - I ran around the park exploring the tree lined avenues, gated gardens and open marshland.  Tiny
Read more

The Druid's Challenge

-
Image
This weekend I signed up to be a member of the support team on the Druid's Challenge ultra running event in the Chiltern Hills. My friend Matt was running the three day, 85 mile event. I was allocated to help with set up and checkpoint duties on the Saturday and Sweeper on Sunday. The Druid has been going for 12 years. It is organised by XNRG, a family business that 'help people challenge themselves and break through their mental and physical barriers, whilst providing peace of mind with expertly run events, going the extra mile for every competitor.' They also put on the Pilgrim Challenge and a number of charity events raising money for Humanity Direct. To get there for the 7 o'clock start I left London at 3:30am. The benefit of this was clear roads and the ability to drive through the centre of London with no Congestion Charge to pay. I arrived at the agreed meeting point outside the village of Watlington.  The first wave of competitors were walkers. They were brought
Read more