Going the Distance

Ultra-Marathoners Need Spirit Over Fitness

If you plan to run a 150 mile race, you better train. The best ultra-marathoners in the world train their bodies of course, but first and foremost they must train their minds. Many of the most successful and inveterate ultra-marathon runners will tell you that while running and strength training is a must, you must also approach those types of races with a certain mindset.

Imagine two physically equal runners. One focuses on the goal of finishing, while the other starts to wonder if completing the race is something he can actually do. Who do you bet on? Marathoners who have extreme mental fortitude never allow themselves to entertain the idea that they will not finish, so they finish.

Not only do ultra-marathoners cover huge distances, they also bear cold, extreme heat, rain, wind, and anything else the harsh courses throw at them. Runners make sure to train for these physical challenges by working out in saunas, or meat lockers, but the physical aspect can only carry you so far. Mental toughness and maintaining a can-do outlook are perhaps as important as the actual workouts. If you begin to doubt yourself, it’s much more likely that you will fail when the trying moments of the race present themselves.

Doesn’t running an ultra-marathon sound an awfully lot like life? You can prepare all you want, but even the mosts organized and prepared individuals will have challenges thrown at them out of the blue and the only way to stay ahead is to maintain a positive attitude and continue to reinforce the fact that anything is possible.

Check out the full article on Fox News.