Why?
In modern life we strive for nice things the nice car, the nice home, clothes, the watch you name it…. This is all superficial.
The things that will get fought over when you die your possessions your monetary value has no real-life value.
In days of early tribes’ children would reach a certain age where they would go off with their father or grandfather and return an adult.
What happened on those journeys opened their minds, they would learn how to survive most likely they would experience near death. They would push their bodies to new limits and learn the land they live on and off.
The difference with modern life is comfort. I sit here writing this on a sofa with a roof over my head, cat curled up next to me and the heating on. It’s all comfort. I want to go to the shops? Get in the car. I need to cook food? Turn on the oven, it’s all comfort.
Endurance sports hold a little of the old encased in a new way of living and a sport.
Why run 100 miles? Why strive to go further? Because a few hours aren’t enough to truly experience the human spirit.
My first attempt at the 100 was an attempt at a 145-mile race. I didn’t return the same person.
Days of turmoil followed highs and lows of such a personal achievement even though I had my first DNF. I’d go from feeling like a failure id failed myself and all the time in training id failed those that id lost time with due to training. But id achieved something bigger. Id stepped truly away from my personal comfort zone id pushed my body to a new limit where nothing wanted to play anymore, the morning sunrise id long waited for would never shine through as I was that far in the hole. I was a zombie a walking mess of emotions and pain. But something in me had moved the bar something had hit the reset and a new level was pencilled in.
The second attempt was 4 weeks later on a super hilly course a course set across some of north Wales’s most beautiful coastline with a mountain thrown in. now I’m no mountain runner I love the hills, but they are not my strength. But that new level was realised. At 60 miles my feet fell apart, I was stressing as I knew the cut off for the next check point was fast approaching, skin sliding off my feet I was in tears. My socks just would not go on. My wife looks at me dead in the eyes and says, ‘how much do you want this?’ and that was it that new level was engaged. Socks on shoes on but this time alone I ran to try and make 6 miles of coast in 1 hour……… I missed the check point……… by 5 minutes. At mile 60 I ran my fastest on the worst terrain of the course in an hour and 5 minutes. My wife came down to me as I was coming up the last hill and said the guy was just leaving but id missed it.
The difference was huge. Id turned everything around and given everything I physically had in those last few miles and that was enough to feel like id won the day.
I realised here that it wasn’t about finish lines it was more about what you could honestly say you had put down out there.
Would you come back and be happy with your medal around your neck and bragging rights of the mileage complete and a nice t-shirt? Or would you be quietly content with the new level of you, a new mind set new teachings and a new out look.
How far will you truly push yourself to stand face to face with the real you? Or are you content enough in life to really soak up those comforts?
Life is a personal journey and for me that is the true meaning of life, having your own story to tell and share and listening to others tell there’s however they choose to.
Life is beautiful, life is bright don’t let it pass to quickly grab a slice for yourself.