“WHAT?! WHY?!” are words uttered in astonishment from my own lips when I talk to ultra endurance runners. “You mean… you run for 100 miles and it sometimes take 24+ hours? Realllly?” I still have a difficult time comprehending running for that long, but I’m sure that once you start doing it, it doesn’t seem all that strange. It’s another few steps(no pun intended, hehe) in front of riding your mountain bike on a trail for 100 miles. At least you don’t have to pedal going downhill on a bike, and I’m not going to lie. The Hard Rock 100 intrigues me, and it IS a 100 mile running race. Whhhaaattt?
People often ask me about my racing. “Are you a downhiller? or… Cross country?” When I tell them I specialize in endurance events, and my favorite distance is anywhere from 50-100 miles, their eyes usually grow wide and they say, “like on a trail? WHY? HOW?” Simple. You just keep pedaling – but more to the point – the why? Sometimes I wonder why I do this stuff as well. I’m definitely going to be asking myself that over and over when I do 24 Hours of Moab solo this October. The short answer is because it is an epic adventure. The longer answer is it is a journey of the mind, body, and soul. Don’t get me wrong, cross country racing is also a challenge of the aforementioned triad, but it’s over in 1.5 hours and I’m left hungering for more.
Physical activity is more than pushing your body to get in shape, lose weight, get healthier, or whatever the reason we exercise may be. On the surface, we want to be strong and we like the feeling of accomplishment. However, on a deeper psychological level, we are doing it for other reasons too. I like the long events because I get to admire the scenery a little more because the pace isn’t quite as high, I get to ride my bike for longer(let’s face it, I race because I love to ride), and I am strengthened as a person from the experience. However, it also helps me sort through my own issues and while I ride my bike, I think of what my goals are in my life(which sometimes evoke goosebumps!), who I want to be, and also who I don’t want to be. I don’t know about you, but most of us lead very busy lives and it can be difficult to make time for you and your mind without a lot of distraction. During my normal day, I struggle to sit down and relax for 10 minutes because it’s always go, go, go. When you sit on your bike for 10 or 11 hours, at least some of that time will be recruited for soul searching, mental restoration, but also simply being able to turn OFF your brain and relax. I had lunch with a friend today who said something like, “When anyone does something at a more extreme level, they are probably working through something or sorting through their demons.” I agree with what he said, but I also thing that the term “working through something” can have a negative connotation. We should be patted on the back for introspection and working on ourselves…. but don’t worry, you don’t have to race your bike 100 miles to do it!
On another note, the marathon national championships (50 miles) are in Breckenridge this Sunday. Hope I bring my A game!
