It is not a RUN. It is about you

On the March, Da Lat Ultra Trail was my longest route (26km).
This time I challenge myself by uplift 40% to the first 35km of mine.
COT (Cut off time) is 9 hours. It means I have to run at a minimum pace of 15 min/km to “Finish the route”. If I can’t maintain that speed, I will be DNF (Did Not Finish).
The nightmare is the last 4 km. Now, I run out of food and sodium. At the same time, my watch is out of battery. It is like a walk through the darkness. I have no idea how many km left.
Luckily, there is the last checkpoint. Supporter tells me “1 hour and 17 minutes to finish or DNF”
Oh shit! Run Run and Run! That’s all I know at this point.
The final slope has a 45-degree inclination at least. My legs are fatigued and poisoned by Acid Lactic. I can hardly move. “I can’t make it”, whispering in my head.
Asking myself “Why I run? WTH am I doing here?”
- It is the courage, it is the determination!
I tell myself,
“It is not about the run, it is about you, only you. I don’t care you finish before COT or not. I care about your attitude. Show me your courage, your determination, your resilience!
Run! You must do your best! Don’t tell me you can’t do it! Have you tried? Have you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?RUN!”
I run like crazy. At that moment, I just RUN, RUN, RUN.
Unbelievable, the more I run the more I feel stronger!
I don’t care what the goal is right now! I just do the best ALL I CAN. Let my engine operate fully its capacity and even over.
I pass other athletes, one by one! How great it is! Some of them say “Wow! How the hell he has the energy to run”
Ah! I even find a little joyful thing as well. The heavy rain makes the route slippery. I decide to put my ass on the ground and slice as a kid. Voooooo! I glide quicklyy through. It is a contented smile.
I am REALLY happy! It just likes the moment to light up everything.
The end, I write it down here to mark as one of the many mental obstacles I have passed by. For the week ahead, I strongly believe in my ability to overcome any blockers in my way.
Life is a challenge. You will do it, I know.
Now, I challenge you to out of your comfort zone. Do you?

