I’ve just read the most amazing article by Patrick Durante over at Bouncing Soles and had to share. I’ve run into him a number of times over the years (no, not literally) and always enjoy his thoughts on his running. He also creates race videos that are always must watch content. I recommend you read his latest post 100 People 100 Ultras before my thoughts on it below.
Big Goals Only
If you follow my blog, you know I’m all about the big goals. As we grow up, we get conditioned that failing is bad. It’s win or go home. No one likes to be a loser which is always viewed as a bad thing. I believe there needs to be some discretion with this line of thinking though. Fail at something easy? Sure hang your head. Fail at something hard? How about really hard? What if it’s something that most people didn’t even know was possible? There is zero shame in this. Coming up a little short doesn’t invalidate the time, effort, and work you put in. And the feelings of accomplishment when you achieve them are out of this world.
Sustainability
Patrick has found that he can do about 2.5 hundreds per year. The amount of races (and distances) that we can do is different for all of us. Some can do more. And longer. Some of us less. The important thing is to find the balance where your body and mind isn’t breaking down on you a couple times each year. Just be aware that this will change over time so you’ll need to continually evaluate what sustainable looks like for you. Speaking of which.
Adaptability
A lot of times, success in ultras comes down to flexibility. The ability to pivot from what’s not working to something that does can transfer a DNF into a finish. Being able to shift gears mentally from A to B (or even G) goals can keep you from spiraling into oblivion. I might quibble with Patrick’s math (nothing about ultras are linear), but it’s great that he’s changing things up. The longer you’re in this community, the more life will impact your ability stay involved with ultras. Whether that’s marriage, work, kids, health, weather; there’s always something that can and should limit the amount of time you spend training/racing. Stay adaptable and you’ll stick around much longer than those who always have to do things the same way.
Passion
Do what you love. Ultras take up a tremendous amount of everything: time, effort, money, stamina, motivation. The more you love something, the more you’ll be able to push through the inevitable low points. You’ll spend more time doing it and you’ll spend more time thinking about your passion. I’ve found that the more you invest in it, the easier it is and the more you get out of it. Eventually, it’s just who you are. And it’s OK when your passion wanes and something new comes along (see Adaptability above). Life’s too short to spend time on things you’re not all in on.
And finally, if you’ve got 21 minutes of free time, check out his race video from this year’s Eastern States.