Something about ultra running unifies the body, mind, and spirit. Even if it’s a fainting glimpse, a brief, nondual moment is possible.
On the other hand, when the body, mind, and spirit are noticeably unbalanced, it creates dis-ease.
I’ve had seasons of excessive mental focus, which caused me to neglect my body and spirit. For example, I recently earned a graduate degree, which made me uneasy. It was a top-heavy experience.
In the same way, I’ve experienced seasons of excessive meditation accompanied by spiritual reading and similar practices. It was blissful at times, but I felt disconnected from everyday life.
And a hyper-focus on the body is gravely empty in nature. Most of us learn early on that a focus on physical appearance in itself yields little fruit.
Ultra Running Journey
Ultra running has been my journey into a more vibrant reality. Deep within the depths of any tough ultra lies a hidden door of transformation. It is a transcendent experience that keep your legs moving forward in the race and in life.
A Divine Intervention
Ultra running has been my journey into a more vibrant reality. Deep within the depths of any tough ultra lies a hidden door of transformation. It is a transcendental experience that keeps your legs moving forward.
As odd as it may sound, ultramarathon running brings me balance.
Running excessively long distances sounds obsessive, and it likely started that way. I ran over 100 ultra distances in a handful of years. Some races were 200 miles and longer.
And when I think back on how I ran so far so many times, it’s really about learning what to do with the pain. In other words, you learn to transcend suffering.
This was in addition to practices outside of running, like prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, fasting, gratitude, living off plants, and an unwavering desire to use my newfound knowledge to serve others.
It invited me to dig deep into myself, detach from the ego when necessary, and, when fully aligned, experience healing from the clarity and courage to repent.
Because if you don’t have an answer to your problems after running 26.2 miles, keep moving forward. There’s a Divine intervention waiting 73.8 miles down the road.
“Suffering is the emptying out of the soul so there’s room for love, so there’s room for the Christ, so there’s room for God.” ~Richard Rhoar
Time In The Desert
If you hang on long enough through the suffering, it guides you into an awakening.
It’s not about believing in something bigger than ourselves. It’s about waking up to it. The expression here is letting go, unlearning, and surrendering; you won’t find it in self-help.
At first, it feels far worse because we can experience grief from losing our identification with the false self. But it’s a necessary step towards becoming more enduring in our running.
“A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed.” (see John 12:24)
Otherwise, we experience a very empty-kind-of-fullness. Those who have suffered from addiction and came out the other side may know this quite well.
The pain is our time in the desert. A dualistic articulation could never satisfy our hunger for a nondual experience we all unconsciously crave. A returning home to Eden, if you will.
We won’t find wholeness during a long ultramarathon. The mileage breaks you into pieces. The pain becomes progressively worse, even hellish at times. But we can let go of what’s blocking the light from shining in. Eventually, we emerge from the shadow land with the hope that pulls us to the finish line. There’s no other feeling like it.
“If one could run without getting tired, I don’t think one would often want to do anything else.” ~CS Lewis
It’s In Our Nature To Run
“Once upon a time, at a large mountainside, there was an eagle nest with 4 large eagle eggs inside.
One day, an earthquake rocked the mountain, causing one of the eggs to roll down to a chicken farm located in the valley below.
The chickens knew that they must protect the eagle egg. Eventually, the eagle egg hatched, and a beautiful eagle was born.
Being chickens, the chickens raised the eagle to be a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but it seemed his spirit cried out for more.
One day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring. “Oh,” the eagle cried, “I wish I could soar like those birds.”
The chickens roared with laughter, “You cannot soar like those. You are a chicken, and chickens do not soar.” The eagle continued staring at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be like them.
Each time the eagle talked about his dreams, he was told it couldn’t be done.
That was what the eagle learned to believe. After time, the eagle stopped dreaming and continued to live his life as a chicken.
Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.”
Society will never consider an ultramarathon normal. It’s unlikely you’ll hear it’s a good idea. Your friends and family will think you’re crazy. Don’t expect encouragement at first. Outside looking in, it’s difficult to rationalize.
But whether the doubt comes from external voices, internal ones, or both, running an ultramarathon is rarely a decision and almost always a calling. And if you keep moving forward, you may find fulfillment unlike any other when you align with this truth at the finish line.
Thank you for reading and keep moving forward.
By the way, if you align with this mindful approach to running an ultramarathon, then check out my book. It’s called Mindful Ultramarathon Running: Training To Run Longer, Stronger, and Faster With Less Effort. Programs included: 50k, 50-mile, 100k, 100-mile, and 200-mile distances.
Click here for the eBook version on Amazon.
Click here for the Paperback version on Amazon.
Click here for the Audiobook version on Audible.
Click here for the Audiobook version on iTunes.
