Category: ultrarunning

If you have ever attempted to run and maintain very high weekly mileage, set a huge running goal, or maybe tried anything & failed- but dusted off for another go…then this is for you! 😉

Ever encountered The Naysayer Family?

You’ve got Mrs. Naysayer, aka mom, constantly reminding you of how worried she is of your (so-called) “addiction” to running. She thinks you’re obsessed and malnourished. She doesn’t understand why in the world you would do something silly like RUN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IN THE WOODS.. Who does that!!!? Well you do!….And mom Naysayer thinks you’re nuts and refuses to encourage your efforts.

There’s the little sister, Jade Naysayer, who actually runs quite bit. But she isn’t “obsessed” like you. She would never dare train as hard or as often as you, of course, because that would just be messed up. Maybe because Jade doesn’t want to or care to.. But either way- Jade is a tad angry of her lack of discipline and motivation to try anything harder. She stabs you with her friendly questions of, “What does your husband think about you running so often?” and “When do you spend time with your kids?” …..(grr!) its obvious that she subconsciously [or totally intentionally] decides to try to make you feel bad about your efforts. Jade secretly wishes for your failure, too. You can tell, because she’s just a little too happy to hear about a DNF. “Frenemy”,… anyone? Jade steps up to that plate!

Can’t forget Papa Naysayer.. Dude seriously doubts your efforts and doesn’t hold back saying so. He thinks you’re a weird fitness freak and wonders why you never join him for fried chicken every Sunday. He loves ya regardless, but just don’t mention the R Word around him because then he might treat you like his red headed step child.

Ahh…but the WORST Naysayer of all? That’s Big Brother Naysayer.
Big Bro is your blood… a fellow ultrarunner.. and someone you have always confided in about your goals, hopes, and dreams. He knows you’re crazy! But, he’s seen you train hard and push past limits. He knows the odds aren’t against you…
But he hears others doubting you, and he caves — big bro joins in to throw a log on your huge fire of doubters! Dang. He cuts you pretty freakin deep with a backhanded comment or two. Maybe even nothing he meant to say!? Ah, but he said it..didn’t he. And you now know how he REALLY feels about your crazy training and goals. Ouch, bro.

No matter which one slams you the hardest on any given day– they all cut you deep enough that you start to doubt yourself… start to think that maybe you are a little crazy? They’re all right.. Aren’t they? If someone -JUST LIKE YOU- thinks your head isn’t screwed on just right.. Maybe it’s time to find a doctor???

Yikes…!!!

But then you realize something you knew all along: You don’t need to listen to what anyone else says about you, or to you, because–
You are the same old you!
Good, bad and ugly, you know exactly who you are.

YOU are determined to learn things the hard way. I mean, really if you’ve come this far into the school of hard knocks- may as well find out what the dang lesson is this time!
YOU are the person that won’t even join a freakin running club or membership of any sort – simply because you don’t like knowing that the someone who invited you to it won you over! You are definitely that messed up in the head! Just be a normal runner! Geez..
YOU are so stubbornly competitive, disgustingly so, even. Enough to where you don’t like other recreational runners to pass you while doing loops at the local park (who cares if you’re on your 10th 3 mile loop?!!!!)

But wait….

Yeah you’re strange, but does that have anything to do with your ability to achieve your dreams? Or maybe, just maybe.. Does it help?!

YOU have succeeded at the impossible when everyone else [literally] had money on you to fail.
YOU “never know when to quit”- like Naysayer mom always said – but that’s not totally a bad thing, right?
YOU have NEVER been who ANYONE wants you to be or expects you to be. And that makes you, YOU.
YOU actually thoroughly enjoy running for hours on end in the dark.. because it makes you feel fun and free like a little kid.
(How many people can actually agree with the above statement?!)
YOU have your priorities in line!!! Your family comes first, always. Before running, before anything! You know you’re not hurting anybody with your crazy mileage. So why quit?
YOU are a freakin fighter. You’ve been to Hell, and back again, so many times in your life. Why change anything that’s worked for you before, simply because no one understands it.

So it’s settled then.. You’re gonna ignore those lame Naysayers and fight to your finish.. Just like you always do!

You’re not an amazing runner, no. But you’ve got HUGE goals and Everest size dreams in your little running world. Your heart is totally and completely 100 percent devoted & that’s all that matters for now.

YOU WILL GO FOR IT.
YOU WILL KEEP TRAINING HARD.

Regardless of what anyone else thinks, says or does. You’re going to continue running all of those “senseless junk miles” (because you KNOW what works for YOU!)

DUH, The Naysayers think you’re quite a big, ridiculous, no-good, crazy running mess.

But do you really care what they think?

Nah…

Because if you did care, you’d be just like everyone else!

And what have we learned here?

Everyone else is NOT YOU.

…..Time for a long run….

What the heck was over there? Did he not realize he could get pulverized by a freakin semi..?

Nah..he knew. You see the chicken had it all figured out.

The chicken knew that a key aspect in genuine happiness and contentment has got to be a disciplined life- a life riddled with pain, struggle, heart ache, disappointment, failure…but only because that’s just a SMALL part of it.
& not the whole thing.

We’re just like that chicken.

Because we fight our way to the light at the end of that deep dark tunnel. We risk the “what ifs” and “I might not make its”. By doing so, we gain more than we ever could have imagined when we get to the end of that struggle— accomplishment, success, understanding..Which is certainly feelings that every human being (and maybe chicken) yearns for.. strives for.. craves.

So we run across the road-

Do we want to get to the other side, and know what’s there?

Sure..

But we realize something on our way over…

And maybe this realization is exactly why we all fall so deeply in love with running ultras?

Maybe this is why we all put up with the endless hours of mind-numbing relentless forward motion. Hours of torture, stress, and feelings of self defeat- all falling in heaps on our plates.. Just to keep going to the other side.
Because when we look back after we do cross that road- or maybe finish line- we know how awful the hours leading up to it were. We know that we had to stay disciplined. We had to stay tough. We had to grit our teeth, put our heads down, and just fight our way to the finish- simply because we wanted to accomplish something come hell or high water. To prove to ourselves that we could.
And maybe that journey reminds us of life, and how things really work in the grand scheme of things. We gotta work our butts off for what we want and need in life::: no matter how agonizingly tough it is. We know if it’s worth fighting for, we’ll fight…. We mimic these moments during those long awful runs.
And when we dig deep within ourselves and REALLY push, we open our eyes to these thoughts & explore the endless ties ultrarunning has to our lives.
& We can’t ignore the metaphors.
It’s more than just running and playing in the woods. It always is. Its gotta be. The parallels to life are infinite…and that’s probably why we keep doing it, keep pushing through the pain-inside and outside of running.
We persevere just to get to the other side!

But we know it’s not really about the other side…

Nope. The chicken knows..

..It’s the satisfaction of the long journey to get there.

Gosh I Iove ultrarunning.