Running on Empty

Recently, I read the book "Running on Empty," the auto-biography of Marshall Ulrich. Admittedly, I had never heard of him, but the book's title caught my attention at the library: "Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run Across America." Wow. This guy not only does ultramarathons (100+ miles, 24 hour runs, etc.) on a regular basis, but he has done this on Pike's Peak and in Death Valley; he does adventure races and eco-challenges all around the world; and he has climbed all the famous mountains (Kilimanjaro, Everest, Whitney). However, he is most well-known for his 2008 transcontinental run from San Francisco to New York City...and he set a record at doing it...at the age of 57. Think training for a marathon is tough? Try training for 40-60 miles a day, for 57 days straight. Where do you even begin?

Like most runners, he runs for more than just the physical challenge and health benefits. He runs for the personal satisfaction of completing one crazy goal after another and to cope with the problems that life brings along. Life doesn't discriminate--it brings challenges, even devastations, to anyone. The only reason he began running is because his wife was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer and ultimately died at the tender age of 30. During all her treatments, he developed high blood pressure, so he ran as a way to alleviate stress and improve his health. After her death, he ran to escape, then, after he realized how naturally good he was at the sport, continued running for the rest of his life.

What was most interesting to me is that Ulrich said that anything above the traditional marathon distance is where things change. That's where the body starts to require much more fuel and in different forms (fat vs. sugar). That's where the challenge becomes purely mental, not physical. That was music to my ears, because do I have a desire to run further than a marathon? Absolutely not. If there was some greater distance that was common for runners to achieve, would I consider it? Yes. But, Ulrich found great significance in 26.2 miles as a natural stopping point. A phenomenal achievement.

The other sentence that really hit home with me was this: "It's a compelling dichotomy: Running takes discipline and focus. What makes it tolerable, though, is letting the mind drift, checking out of 'real life,' where the legs keep moving as the world keeps turning, but the mind focuses elsewhere and notices, for example, the beauty of a bristlecone pine, bent and twisted by the wind." Runners: how true is that? We follow strict training regimens, sacrifice more appealing plans and record all the stats of our runs with diligence. But at the end of the day, it's losing yourself in the run. It's that runner's high, that, as cheesy as it sounds, does exist. It's being outside, in the middle of nature, just running. Wondering where did those last 20 minutes go? Such a beautiful, pure thing.

Who is your running hero?