I’ll admit, I’m still new to this whole Ultra-marathon thing.  I’ve ran a 50k and a 50-miler with future races scheduled.  I’m 9 months into my “rookie year”, I’m still a noob.  When Ultra-running comes up during conversations with friends/family/co-workers/new connections, the most frequently asked question is “why do you do that”?

Some challenges and runs are very difficult. My long run last Saturday was 32 miles. The last five miles were the hardest five miles since my 50-mile race in April. The temperature was 90 degrees as morning turned to afternoon. There wasn’t any shade on the route back to my house and humidity was 77% when my run started hours earlier. I kept my nutrition and hydration on point, consuming 6 liters of water and Gatorade over the course of the run. I knew I could complete the route home, but I had to dig deep to get through it. Everything was sore and falling apart, and I was exhausted from the heat. I wanted to lay down on the side of the road. My pace slowed down but I pushed myself all the way to 34 and finished the run. I immediately hit up some DDP Yoga to recover when arriving at my house. My whole body was sore afterwards while I moved around like Frankenstein. Cryotherapy and compression therapy felt amazing on Sunday and Monday.

Every week, life throws challenges. I just trust in God and say to myself “you got through those tough five miles, this is nothing son” and then I handle business. And that is the answer to the question “why?”

Go get it.