What Is Mindful Ultramarathon Running?

June 26, 2020

It was two in the morning. I was in the middle of a 31-mile training run before work. As an ultramarathon running dad, this was nothing new.

I’ve run 31 miles (50k) many times with no food or water. I call it fasted-running. Fat adapted running is a part of my lifestyle as I teach in my book ‘The Fat Adapted Running Formula.’

At the time, I was considering writing my 6th running book. On the journey to running a 200-mile ultramarathon, you sure develop many helpful tips for transcending limitations.

I thought the term “Mindful Ultramarathon Running” would do this subject most justice. And although I had the idea to write my new book, I still felt hesitant. I asked myself, “Would this subject truly serve other runners?”

That morning, as I continued running, my groove felt limitless. It was surreal. As I soared down the open and dark road, each step was no longer a physical movement with force, but instead, the flow of an expression of my soul.

Both meditatively and contemplatively, I looked up to the sky. I thought, “If I should write this book, please, give me a sign.”

At that exact moment, what did I see? Three enormous white majestic crosses planted boldy along the hillside. This caught me by surprise.

I asked myself, “Was this the sign?”

Suddenly, behind the crosses in the background came the brightest and most extravagant shooting star that danced across the sky. It was a fantastic sight to see.

In one split second, all doubts faded away as I developed an unwavering knowing from within. Later that night…I began writing.

Months later, I finished the book. Naturally, it was titled ‘Mindful Ultramarathon Running.’ After some thought, I chose the subtitle, ‘Train To Run Longer, Stronger, and Faster With Less Effort.’

Although I spent a great deal of time writing, it felt as if I didn’t write at all. Instead, I felt like a conduit, an instrument of love, translating many of my transcendental experiences into practical words of advice.

Yes, the book is filled with many tips and tricks to save you massive time in your training. However, it’s also a guide that can be practiced and perfected for an entire lifetime.

After running over 100 ultramarathon distances, thoughts, tips, and guidance poured out of me.

Eventually, the book was finished.

The Release of Mindful Ultramarathon Running

What Is Mindful Ultramarathon Running? // Long Run Living

Again, at two in the morning, I found myself running a 31 mile run before work—another fasted-run with no food or water.

I let go. There was no need for external energy, the inspiration of a new day continued driving my feet forward.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling arose. I felt hesitant again. Although I wrote ‘Mindful Ultramarathon Running’, I was unsure if I should release it to the public.

To my surprise, I saw the three enormous white majestic crosses planted boldly along the hillside approaching from the distance.

Again, I looked up to the sky and thought, “If I should publish this book, please, give me a sign.”

Suddenly, behind the crosses in the background again came the brightest and most extravagant shooting star that danced across the sky.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was surely no coincidence.

At this moment, I suddenly felt a rush of love penetrate my entire being….

…I cried.

And that’s the day I decided to release my latest book ‘Mindful Ultramarathon Running‘ to the world.

You can grab your copy here.

What Is Mindful Ultramarathon Running?

Please note: I am not a certified health physician and do not claim to be one. I’m only sharing the methods that worked for me. Remember, sometimes when you push the limits, the limits push back. So proceed with caution and never forget that safety comes first.

First, understand this book, Mindful Ultramarathon Running, is not a strategy. Instead, I ask you to see it as a key to unlock your unlimited potential.

It’s how you’ll handle the resistance, pain, and stress that commonly occurs with ultra running and find greater clarity to set you free.

As I like to say: show up to race day with a full heart, empty of expectations and identification. Leave the starting line with an urgent longing for finding freedom, and allow the finish line to be your liberation.

Soon you will develop the insight to continue moving forward even in your darkest moments. Because it takes entering into a vast darkness to find a radiant light. And no, I’m not referring to your headlamp on a midnight trail. What I’m referring to is your higher self. I’m talking about your invincible human spirit. The spirit that’s in you, and that same spirit that’s in me.

Mindful Ultramarathon Running is not a rigid set of rules to follow. Rather, it’s about running with thought behind it.

It’s a practice to help propel you through external barriers and into the inner realm of ultramarathon running. This realm isn’t a destination you find outwardly, but a new world that awaits inwardly.

Because that’s where the real power lies: it’s within you.

Let Go To Run Longer

Mindful Ultramarathon Running will teach you how to let go of conclusions because those limiting stories prevent you from running longer. And it’s these same stories that your ego clings to, misidentifying itself and leading you off the path of ultramarathon running.

You’re not too old; you’re not too young. You’re not too skinny; you’re not too fat. You’re not too busy; you’re not too lazy. Your life, my friend, is way too meaningful to waste away on the sidelines in wonder, pondering if you could really be the runner you wish you could be.

You are a miracle, and any opposition is just fear and conditioning.

Through Mindful Ultramarathon Running, you’ll learn to let go and allow the natural flow of life to carry you forward. Do this, and instead of feeling like you’re traveling upstream with force, you will flow downstream with grace.

You’ll find your stride to be smoother while running longer with less effort.

How refreshing and relieving the life of a mindful ultramarathon runner can be.

To run mindfully is to run with thought behind it, and since our thoughts are what we become, it will provide you with a new way of thinking for ultramarathon running. A mindset that helps ensure you cross the finish line, every time, whether you’re running 50K, 50 miles, 100K, 100 miles, 200 miles, or longer! (Training programs for each of these distances are included in Mindful Ultramarathon Running)

Running In The Present Moment

With that, are you ready to stop running with your legs and start running with your mind? Are you ready to relax into your long run and find a new rhythm and flow? Are you ready to find comfort within the uncomfortable so you run the longest of distances?

We’ll also take your newfound mindfulness and shift it over into your everyday life, where your love for life becomes a reciprocal of the miles you run. Where forms of measurement like time and distance become an abstract illusion and where you find peace in the moment.

The present moment is timeless, when you run from the stillness instead of stress and anxiety you find peace and joy.

If you’re anything like me, then you have a sincere love for the distance. It doesn’t matter if I’m running down trails, over mountains, through roadways, or on a beach.

To run mindfully is to run in the present. The “NOW” is a marvelous place to find an appreciation for the world and all its majestic surroundings. You see, no matter where you run, when doing so mindfully, not only can you run multiple ultramarathons, you can find longevity in the sport.

Movement Is Life

Trust me when I tell you, I didn’t run over 100 ultramarathon distances because it was an obsessive goal. No, it wasn’t some fierce desire for another accomplishment, although it might have started off that way.

Instead, running ultramarathon distances simply became a way of my being. I don’t mention this to impress you, but instead, to press upon you that it’s possible for anyone to run these distances, and that includes you.

You see, how far you run outwardly is merely a reflection of how deep you are willing to dig inwardly, and every step you take inwardly is another step you can take outwardly—what a divine cause and effect.

I can tell you from experience, whether I’m on a 10-, 100-, or 200-mile run, every step forward is a representation of who I am, and in that sense, who you are. Think about it, movement is the way of life. Consider our vibrational frequency from a subatomic level.

Movement is a part of our being. So if moving is who we are, then running is a celebration of life!

Soon you’ll realize that if you relax, let go, and have the courage to jump into the unknown, the mileage doesn’t just become something you do, it becomes a part of who you are. Even more so, it’s where running shifts from a tedious chore to a part of your essence, that is, a part of your soul.

Now the miles become an expression of your inner being; they become the notes of your inner vibrational symphony. What a gift running can be.

Over time, you will redirect yourself from being an ultramarathon runner who grinds through race day for satisfaction and relief and become a mindful one who discovers peace and joy in every stride. Mindful Ultramarathon Running can take you there.

Run From The Heart

Mindful Ultramarathon Running will show you a place to run where there are no limitations…

In this unity there are no uniforms. Within this space there is no race. From this state there are no states. There are no boundaries walls or separation. When you run with love, there’s nothing to measure. And when the distance can’t be measured, what limitations do you have?

That’s where you go when running from the heart.

That is, one run with different strides. One love with different vibrations.

We are surely equal but very different. Without variety, we wouldn’t have beautiful sounds of music, interesting and diverse cultures, books that inspire us to change.

Underneath our differences, however, we meet in this liminal space. It’s not a fixed structure, but a cosmic dance, inside and outside of infinity.

Here’s another way to say it…

Love is beyond space and time. When you run with your heart, there are no limitations. It’s here where the vastness of the 100-mile race vanishes. The distance dissolves away into infinity as you move from a place of total perfection.

When you run from the heart, nothing is telling you what you can or can’t do. It’s a place of limitlessness and where running any distance is entirely possible.

Here’s a tip: Run with an unwavering love for the practice of radical forgiveness and a deep-seated hope that you’ll be blessed to see the sunrise for one more day.

Take Faithful Action

If you are new to ultra running, know this: Running a half marathon will strengthen the body. Running a marathon will expand the mind. But running an ultramarathon will cleanse the soul.

Setting sail on the voyage of an ultramarathon is not a trip. It’s a journey. A trip is predictable, yet this journey comes with much uncertainty.

It takes faith to proceed.

At times, running an ultramarathon will feel unreal, and other times, downright brutal.

But isn’t that part of the human experience? Meaning, how we play between joy and suffering? This is a part of our self-discovery.

Ultrarunning can help guide you down the long internal road to your true self. That’s where the most freedom of all resides. There’s no holding back a runner who is motivated by this future liberation. It’s an unstoppable force.

In Mindful Ultramarathon Running, your running shoes can be an escape from the mental imprisonment of self-limiting thoughts, beliefs, and concepts.

But it’s not always going to be easy. The path of a mindful ultramarathon runner comes with both joy and suffering, good runs and bad runs, the highs and the lows.

Remember, without the brightness of the day, how could we ever see our darkest shadow? And without the darkness of night, how could we ever shine so bright?

Adversity is the pathway for enduring long distances. It’s our training for transcending any form of self-doubt into self-confidence.

Gradual Progression

Can you run one more lap? Walk to one more bus stop? Wake up one hour earlier? Of course, you can. It’s the small, consistent actions that provide the greatest and most sustainable positive changes in our lives.

In this way, we steadily develop a new foundation to build from. Gradual progression is your path to running longer ultra distances.

And eventually, the momentum takes you to outer space.

We either run full of ourselves or empty of our limitations. Contemplate this thought deep into your next long run, and you may fill back up with something truly worth running for.

Total Acceptance

It starts with total acceptance.

Accept your circumstances no matter what happens. At the same time, give thanks for your strong and enduring legs. Don’t forget: A healthy body is not guaranteed… it’s a blessing.

It’s in sincere gratitude for the mileage where our stamina becomes boundless.

Don’t run from the body or the mind, run from that which observes the two.

Allow the body – mind – soul connection to feed itself strength harmoniously without conditions. Allow this full circle to unfold into a rhythmic dance empowered by gratitude.

Remember this…

“Even after all this time the Sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.”

-Hafiz

Now, Let’s get started….

Start Your Mindful Ultramarathon Running Journey Today!

Are you an ultramarathon runner who wants to improve your performance with a new, mindful approach?

Do you want to start running ultramarathon distances but don’t know if you’re up to the challenge?

This book will show you how it’s possible!

Millions of us run every day, whether it’s to catch a bus, a relaxing fun run around a park or a longer distance like a 10k or marathon. Only a small few take on ultramarathon running – distances from 50K and can be very much longer.

Whether you are someone who is thinking about taking up this sport, or you are already doing it and want to add an alternative and less stressful tactic to your training regime, then this is the book you should be reading now.

Inside the pages of Mindful Ultramarathon Running: Train to Run Longer, Stronger and Faster with Less Effort, you will find what you need to inspire you and develop the mindset required to run an ultramarathon distance, with chapters that examine:

Developing the motivation to go all the way
Preparing the mind for the task ahead
Why self-discovery is a great asset
Tapping into your natural powers
Forming a balanced program to run longer
How to run faster
And more…

There is no doubt that you are embarking on possibly the greatest challenge of your life when you make the decision to tackle an ultramarathon distance and a mindful approach is something that will make a huge difference to ensure you cross the finish line.

You owe it to yourself to be as well prepared as you can be and with Mindful Ultramarathon Running you have a book that delivers that preparation for you, one step at a time!

Ready to start your new practice?

If so, grab your book on Amazon here and start you Mindful Ultramarathon Running Journey Today! (Click here for the Kindle version)

Click here for the eBook version.

Click here for the Paperback version.

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