One of my favorite podcasts is Florida Trail Runners. This podcast is how I heard about the Dunes 50K race I did in April, and also the Forgotten Florida race coming up in February. The host, Joseph Fuller, interviews people (usually in small groups) and has them tell stories from a recent race.
The great thing is it’s a way to preview a race I’m interested in. If I hear “All that sand running was so hard!” or “This race was very wet” I get some clues about what I’m in for. The latest episode was about the Sweat, Swat and Swear 50K in Inverness, FL, north of Tampa (I love that name, although it doesn’t necessarily make me want to do this race, ha ha.)
Joseph interviewed four runners who completed the race, and two of them had especially interesting stories.
One woman shared that she’s a former addict, and got into running as part of her recovery. This seems to be a common theme among ultra runners- I would say about 25% of the runners I hear on these podcasts have transferred their drug or alcohol addiction to a running addiction. That’s okay! Running is a good thing to be addicted to.
Anyway, before the race she dedicated each mile to a person in her life- someone she wanted to pray for, or someone who helped or inspired her, and one mile was dedicated to her dog (that was my favorite.) Then during the race she thought about each person during their mile.
Joseph asked her how she made it through the final miles, and she said that after 30 miles dedicated to other people, the last mile was dedicated to herself. I LOVED THAT SO MUCH. She said she took that final mile to think about everything she had been through, and how far she had come in her life, and savored the fact that she was about to finish a 50K.
Another woman told her story: about a year before the race, she had a strange pain in her neck. It was diagnosed as a malignant tumor in her cervical spine, which has to be one of the scariest things in the world. She had to have surgery to remove it, and they couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t be a quadriplegic.
After an eight hour surgery, she woke up to find that she could move her entire body, but couldn’t feel anything below her neck. It took months of rehab but slowly the feeling came- mostly- back, and she decided to run a 50K.
Since it was cancer, there’s no way to know if the tumor will come back, so she decided there was no time to waste. For all she knows, her time is very limited, and she knew if she wanted to run an ultra marathon, she had to do it NOW.
These stories were important to me, because as adults, especially women, we’re always putting other people first. Our families, clients, coworkers, pets, and well, if you have kids, forget it- your life is no longer your own. Even now that my kids are older and can take care of themselves, I still feel guilty about being gone on a Sunday morning to do a long run. And I feel guilty asking for extra days off of work to go run a race.
We all have time- but not that much time. Seize the day, dedicate some miles to yourself, and do it… now.
24 Responses
Thanks for relating these stories! So powerful.
I especially like the idea of dedicating a portion of a race to specific people. Did the woman mention how she remembered the 30 names during the race? Did she write it down somewhere?
I don’t remember- but she must have written it down. You’ve done ultras so you know what happens to your mind by the end- you can’t remember anything!
I loved the balance of dedicating most of the miles to important people but then dedicating that final mile to herself! I have never run that long, but it seems so appropriate to have that moment of celebration for you and what got you to that final mile and moment as you run it in. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Lindsay! I had never heard anyone say that before (dedicating a mile to yourself) and I really loved it.
Back when I was running, there was a local running podcast that I loved for the simple reason that they talked about my local races. I could compare notes on the ones that I had done and got tips on new races to try.
This post resonates with me not because I will ever run an ultra, but because I’m trying to find the balance between clocking in the hours at a job that I hate, being present for my family, and exploring things that I want to do after so many years of prioritizing clocking in a work. So YES YES YES take those Sunday long runs and take those PTO days (which I know are unpaid for you) to do the races! Time is limited so there has to be a balance of things that we WANT to do in with all of the things that we HAVE to do. Plus more running now may be the key to getting more time to have fun later.
Yes, and I think women of our age (I use that term loosely- I’m older than you) who have older kids, can suddenly find themselves thinking “But what about me?” It’s good to be reminded that yes, we do matter!
I loved this, Jenny. Thanks for sharing these stories.
You’re welcome, Suzanne!
LOVE this post, Jenny. What powerful stories. And I also love the name of that episode: Sweat, Swat and Swear. Hilarious…but yet, I can 100% guess the tone of the experience. I think with just about anything in life it’s helpful to pause sometimes to reevaluate motive, interest level, and reframe situations and experiences. That advice of switching “I have to do this” to “I get to do this” can be surprisingly effective, and it’s a nice reminder to see stories of people overcoming the odds!
And I’ve read several ultrarunning books and in each case the person was recovering from an addiction!
I’m 100% with Elisabeth on the switching my mentality from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this” has been so powerful for me. I have a niece with cerebral palsy and her movements are limited and seeing her take joy in what she CAN do is so inspiring. I do not take it for granted that I can get down on the floor to pet my dog or feel how soft my cat’s fur is. It makes me a lot more appreciative of everyday pleasures and luxuries and also a lot less likely to complain about working out. And I am REALLY aware of how cool it is when I get to do something that it outside of my norm. Hey, I’m not going to run an ultra ever, but maybe I’m going to go to a new museum! And how great is it that I have that option.
Yes, it really helps when it comes to exercise. Obviously I love running (although not every moment of every run) but I’m not in love with strength training. Every time I do that (terrible, awful) Caroline Girvan deadbug workout, I remind myself there are people who CAN’T do it, that I’m lucky to be able to. It definitely helps.
Yes, great point- stopping to reevaluate and reframe is really important. There are so many things in life that we complain about, and yet we did choose them (ahem, like having kids!) And yes- running is apparently a powerful tool for overcoming addition.
Wow, those are very powerful stories!! When I ran my 4 marathons, I also dedicated each mile to someone. Now I wonder if I dedicated any to myself? Hmmm… I probably should have!!
That is very cool! I’ve ever done it, but it would be a good way to keep yourself present in the mile you’re in. I’ve heard of people doing it, but this was the first time I heard of someone dedicating a mile to themselves.
Thanks for sharing… how meaningful.
I’ll stop complaining now about how slow I am…
And I will run a marathon until I can’t (run is a loose term).
I know… all it takes is a story about someone with a malignant tumor in their spine, and suddenly “fast” and “slow” don’t seem to matter so much!
Absolutely – this is time for you, it is important because you are important! Time is the one thing we can never get back.
“It is important because you are important”- I love that. Thank you Nicole!
That is really interesting that so many ultra runners are previous addicts. Dealing with my recent health struggles, I am even more grateful for every mile I can run. Life is short -do what you love
That’s a mantra for life right there- Life is short, do what you love.
Love this! It’s important to listen to other people’s stories… and tell your own!
Yes, it’s important to remember that everyone has a story! Usually we have no idea what it is though.
This reminds me so much of a quote I saw yesterday, courtesy of James Clear’s newsletter. The quote is from Andrew Anabi.
“Every time you do something that is one less time you do it. One day you will do something the final time and you will rarely know when that day comes.
For all you know, today might be the last time you walk in a particular neighborhood. Or it might be the last time you smile at a particular someone. To think otherwise, would be foolish. Nothing is guaranteed, except this moment. Your only real choice is to cherish every exchange like it is your last — because it very well might be.
Therefore, the best way to cherish life is to remind yourself of life’s impermanence.”
Whew. Crazy but true. I don’t do a good enough job with this, but it’s kind of like carpe diem on steroids. 🙂 The story of the woman with the tumor really got me!
I love this!!! I read James Clear’s book but I don’t subscribe to his newsletter- obviously I need to. I’ve definitely heard this idea before- you really don’t know when will be the last time you do something- one heartbreaking example is, a parent never knows when will be the last time they pick up their child. But one of those times is the last- sob!