Inspirational Reading

Kris let me borrow a book titled Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes. She had already read it and said it was good, but at the end the author sounded kind of braggy. So I started the book with the impression that I'd enjoy it, but not really get much out of it. I figured it would just be a good book to read this weekend.

So I know I'm a sappy person. I cry at movies and TV shows. I cry while reading books. I wasn't expecting to cry while reading this one. I mean, come on. It's a book about some guy that runs 50- or 100-mile races on a somewhat regular basis. He runs between 70 and 100 miles a week. I typically run between 70 and 80 miles a month. So why would I cry at this big time runner and his story? Don't get me wrong, I didn't bawl my eyes out, but I did tear up a time or two.

Well, the book isn't just about his experiences while running. He goes into background about how he started running, why he stopped, why he started back up, and why he keeps doing it (and pushing himself farther and harder). He includes everything from how he partied in high school and college, to ordering a pizza, cheesecake, and coffee while running a 199-mile relay race by himself. **SPOILER ALERT** He talks about how his family splintered apart after his sister's death at age 18. Of course I cried at that point.

When he describes how he pushed himself past the blindness he developed during his first 100 mile race, I was really inspired. I thought, "This guy is nuts!" but I was still inspired. How many of us "normal" people would keep running at night without being able to see anything? I don't think I would, especially at about mile 80. (I don't think I could even run to mile 80.)

He did The Relay (that 199-mile relay race I talked about). He did the whole thing by himself-all 199 miles. Everyone else had teams of 12 runners and each runner did 3 legs of about 5.5 miles (for a total of about 17 miles). I just did a similar relay on a team of 10 runners. I ran 20 miles over the course of 36 hours. I was beat! I can't imagine doing the entire race by myself. He had his family in the "Mother Ship" giving him food, water, and Pedialyte (I'm going to have to try that). He had friends join him on certain points of the course. Some ran with him, another rode his bicycle. But, really, he ran the whole thing alone.

Whatever I was expecting out of the book, I got more. He had some coaches throughout his early running life that really inspired him. They said things like "Run with your heart." and "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." So next time I run (tomorrow), I'll be thinking "Run with your heart." The next time I'm coming up to the last mile in the race (November 16), I'll be thinking "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell."

When it's time for my first full marathon in February, I'll be thinking both of those things. I think I've found my mantra...finally.