The Mindset of an Ultramarathon

My blog and social media feeds are filled with running and nutrition advice. While these are absolutely essential to the success of an ultra-runner, they are really the price of admission. You have to get these things correct, just to have a chance at successfully running an ultramarathon. Other aspects that need to be addressed are gear and preparation for the various types of weather and terrain you might face. At some point however, all of these things fade to the background and the race comes down to you and your thoughts. Do you have what it takes to keep moving forward despite the pain, exhaustion, and elements?

Before I jump into my thought process, let me qualify what I am about to say with this. If you are injured, you must stop and live to fight another day. There is always another race. There is a difference between pain and injury. So please, do not misconstrue my thoughts here as a greenlight to run injured. They are not. I digress…

So, here are various ways/thoughts that I use to keep moving despite being deep in the pain cave. Some are done prior to race day, and some are done out there in the abyss.

1. Long runs are almost always non-negotiable. What do I mean by this? Well, you wake up and it’s bucketing down rain and you look at the forecast. Tomorrow looks sunny with a slight breeze! I’ll just switch today for a rest day and run tomorrow! Sound familiar? I try hard not to do this. I run in the rain, snow, sleet, dark… etc. You cannot control the weather on race day, so get out there and learn to embrace the suck.
2. Appreciate the fact that you get to do this. As an example, I write with a pen on my left hand, a list of people that I know that have challenges in their life that they cannot put down. Cancer, diabetes, lupus, etc. This provides a firm understanding of why I do what I do, and when I feel like quitting, I look down at my hand and think about these people that I love, that cannot quit. Our suffering will stop when the race is over.
3. Have confidence, not arrogance. People see the hat’s that I wear that say MACHINE, or BEAST, and make comments on how cool they are. I agree, they are cool, but they are also a reminder that I have put in the work, and I have earned the right to be out on that course, and I am a frickin’ MACHINE. I don’t stop. I don’t quit. I just keep cranking out the miles. It’s a mindset.
4. Beware of the chair. I’ve seen it at every single ultramarathon that I have ever run. Life is sucking hard out there on the trail and suddenly you are in this warm, cozy tent. They have food. Not just food, but junk food! Soda, hot chocolate, and… CHAIR. You think, I’ll just sit a minute and eat this piece of pizza. Suddenly your tummy is full, and you start to nod off a little. You shake yourself awake and start asking yourself questions. Why am I doing this? What do I have to prove? 70 miles is pretty damn good! Word of advice here. Get into an aid station, do what you need to do, and get the hell out! I even start to think about my plan for the aid station about a mile before I get there, so I am ready to go. “I need refills on water and tailwind, and new batteries for my headlamp.” If I’m not changing my shoes, I don’t even sit down. That’s just me.
5. When all else fails and I am actually contemplating quitting, I ask myself this question. “If I stop now, how will I feel about it in three hours after I have showered and put my feet up?” If the answer to this question is, I will be completely comfortable with that decision because I am injured or was going to miss a cut off, I drop. If the answer is that I will sit there and ponder how far along I would have been if I hadn’t quit, or I know that I could have kept going, there was no injury or time constraint, I keep moving. Even if it’s a crawl, I keep moving. I have seen people go from dead on their feet to running in a couple of minutes. You just have to muster the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I hope that this small glimpse into my head helps you to achieve your goals. If you have any thoughts on how to keep moving despite the challenges of ultra-running, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

If I can help you on your journey in any way, please reach out to me.

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