Could I run an ultramarathon?

Kids, it's normal to doubt yourself. 

Never be surprised or ashamed to ask yourself difficult questions about what you are capable of. 

Once I had got to be a competent runner, I started asking myself these sort of questions.

"Could go faster or further?"

"Could I run a marathon?"

"Could I beat that last time?"

and the biggest one...

"Could I run an ultramarathon?"

At the time, these questions seemed difficult and somewhat impossible, like reaching for the stars or flying to moon. But with time and effort I answered these questions one by one. 

I got thinking about this earlier this week when I was reading somebody else's account about running ultras. They said that the difference between running 6 km and running 60 km is all in the mind. At first I thought how untrue that was. It can't be as simple as having a positive state of mind. Surely it's all about the training and preparation...

I trained hard to run my first ultramarathon and I think that showed in my performance. I ran the whole course in challenging conditions and although it took longer than I planned (naively) I was still impressed with my performance after I was done. My training involved a 20 week plan, running 4-5 times per week with a mix of road and trail, speed and distance, interval and back to back workouts. I stuck to it as much as possible I got up in the early hours and ran through the snow and the rain. I did everything I could and at the end of the program I knew I had done all I could. But the question hung over my head....

"Could I run an ultramarathon?"

Looking back at my first ultra I now see that asking that question was just me identifying a weakness, maybe even a fear. 

I've never felt comfortable putting myself out there and doing something exceptional. Running any distance is great. Running marathons is exceptional and running ultras is (believe me) exceptional. 

The fear wasn't about running the distance or getting a DNF. It wasn't about where I'd place or getting an injury, it was about me achieving something, it was about being scared to put my hand up and say to everyone, "I've done something amazing, I've run an ultramarathon."

I contrasted this with my second ultramarathon, I maintained my fitness, but didn't train too much. I applied late in the day and wasn't particularly well prepared for the race. But I ran faster and harder in equally challenging conditions and placed much higher than my first. I finished stronger, recovered quicker and was much happier at the finish line.

The difference? I'd already done the hard work and answered the questions, now I was just doing it for fun and for the experience. I'd already accepted that I was capable of doing these things. 

Jake running his first 2k race, no doubts, just smiles.

Kids, never be afraid to ask yourself these big, challenging questions about what you are capable of. The truth is that if you look at the questions you are asking, you're probably just identifying your own perceived weaknesses. And this is the first step to overcoming them.