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Category: stoicism

Overcome Negative thoughts in Ultras with an “Ultra Inventory”Ultra Inventory

Overcome Negative thoughts in Ultras with an “Ultra Inventory”

Published by Patrick Durante on November 2, 2024

My brain, like yours, is a prediction machine that’s always focusing on the dangers ahead. It’s able to create entire scenarios that may or may not happen. It does this over and over again, hundreds of times a day, and sometimes negatively. Like that scary sound you heard in the dark while running in the woods? That’s a goddamn bear about to eat you!

To your mind, every sound is a bear about to pounce!

In an ultra, the typical conversation goes like this in your mind: “You’re going too fast.” “You’re going too slow.” “You’re not fast enough.” “You’re walking too much.” Constantly in negative chatter. It predicts some of the worst scenarios that someone could imagine. Where the voices are hard to quiet. I have a solution to this that’s pretty simple to execute below called the “Ultra Inventory.”

Your mental baggage stays with you during the entire race…

It’s the default action of our brains; they are machines purpose-built with a single goal: identify problems and keep you alive. This is part of the mental side of ultras. People say that it’s all mental, but what does that actually mean? It means that it’s a battle between the part of your brain that wants to protect you and the one that wants to see you achieve. To your brain, the race is the bear chasing you that’s about to eat you. It will throws doubt to protect your survival. It’s constant mental curve balls to force you to stop!

“Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life.”

My trick is to perform the “Ultra Inventory.” This forces your prediction machine to focus on what you can control vs. the fears you can’t. Starting from head to toe, you do an inventory every 30 minutes. (Set a repeating timer on your phone or watch to achieve this and force focus back to the controllable.)

Keep checking your mental inventory every 30 minutes from top to bottom.

Ultra Inventory – Head to Toe

Head – Am I thinking positively? If not, why? Overheating? Wet my hat or ask for ice at the next aid station. Negative thoughts are a cancer that grows. Change your thoughts, change your world!

Nose – Breathing through the nose. Why? It humidifies, filters, and warms the air. It improves oxygen uptake. It enhances nitric oxide production, which helps to open the airways and improve blood flow. It also reduces hyperventilation.

Chest – Are my clothes too wet or my vest too tight? Am I overheating or too cold? Should I shed or add layers? Do my clothes feel sweaty? Am I standing tall, not slouching? Am I breathing deep and steady into my belly vs. shallow breathing?

Waist / Stomach – If it’s been 30 minutes, eat something. Calorie check-in? Salt? Caffeine needed? Hydration status: Am I drinking enough water? How does my stomach feel: Bloating or GI distress? Let me slow down to aid digestion.

Groin / Butt – Am I peeing clear? Is anti-chafe cream needed?

Legs – Is my pace too fast? Is my cadence high? Am I driving with my knees during my stride? Is anything tight? Change stride to fix pain?

Feet – Are there hot spots? Are my feet too wet? Is it time for a sock or shoe change?

You are keeping your mind busy and preventing issues that could grow into larger problems.

Do this EVERY 30 minutes OR at aid stations. Food is needed every 30 minutes, if not hydration until the end of the race. This process forces you to break mental chatter and bring attention to the current moment. Focus on items you can control vs. those you cannot. I wrote before about how in life, you control limited aspects. In an ultras, there are a few things you can and should control.

If you’ve ever left kids unsupervised, you know they come up with destructive or dangerous games. However, when you provide them with alternatives, they tend to behave more responsibly. As the saying goes, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Direct your mind toward constructive thoughts. Don’t let it wander! Try this in your next race and let me know the results.

Thanks for reading! Interested in coaching for your next ultra event? Find out more info at https://ultraruncoach.com

UltraQuotes – Part II

UltraQuotes – Part II

Published by Patrick Durante on October 17, 2024

These are some more daily quotes I read to program my thoughts. I keep these in the forefront of my mind to remember how to act. Inspiration is like bathing; you need to do it daily. They are a gentle reminder of what’s most important in life.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

You build yourself along the journey. This can go for your life partner. It’s not about finding the perfect person; it’s more about growing together and being what each other needs most.

“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you.”

Be careful of the status symbol type stuff.  Fancy cars and a big house don’t mean anything if those inside are miserable.  Success is connected to relationships around you.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. One who lives life fully is prepared to die at any time.”

This also made me think that fear and action can not occupy the brain at the same time.  When I am anxious about a situation just act.  Fear will melt away.

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”

An idle mind is a sad mind.  Being busy keeps sadness at bay and gives us purpose.  Knowing what must be done does away with fear.  There’s no rule for how to live this life and what you can deem worthy of your attention.

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.

One of my favorite books, From Strength To Strength, asks the two questions: Why were you born, and what are you willing to die for? The goal of life is to have a solid answer to those two questions.

Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead.

Why so serious?

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity no matter how impressive their other talents.”

True in racing and self-development.  You get nowhere if you can’t push yourself to new heights.

People’s IQs seem to double as soon as you give them responsibility and indicate that you trust them.

People want to be needed and don’t like betraying your trust. Normally…

“We can control 2 things – our thoughts and actions. Everything else is not under our control.  We can’t control what others will think about us, so stop worrying.”

I would even argue that our thoughts are not in our control at times.  Negative thoughts will come so must also learn to let them pass.

What you resist persists.

If you resist something, it usually falls into one of these categories: it’s something others might judge you for, it causes some kind of conflict, or it’s your first time experiencing it. Recognize this and push through the uncertainty and doubt.

That dude is about to run off the cliff… Taking the path less traveled.

“I didn’t pay attention to times or distance, instead of focusing on how it felt just to be in motion, knowing it wasn’t about the finish line but how I got there that mattered.”

Motion is a gift.  It’s temporary like everything else so be grateful to be moving!

I greet every sunrise with cries of joy like a prisoner who is reprieved from death.

I wake up, and my first words internally are “Yeah baby, I get to do it all again!” You GET to do this, and you GET to be here. Be grateful for every breath you have on this earth while you are here! Stop complaining. Stop criticizing. Stop comparing. The 3 Cs of a CRAPPY life occur when those things CONSTANTLY come out of your mouth.

You are constantly cultivating the past, which is used in our brains to model future situations.  

You are a sum of your experiences, both good and bad.  Challenges show our future mind we can endure hardships greater than the current situation.

Create vs consume.  

Days, when I create media, feel more fulfilling than those when I just consume it, especially mindless media like TV. This doesn’t apply as much to thought-provoking content like books or podcasts. Try creating something before you consume, like having a healthy meal before indulging in junk food.

Life is not up, up, up.  It’s up, down, up-down.  Just be aware of the downs, but realize they don’t last forever.

Thoughts of insecurity, difficult times, and sadness all pass like a moving storm.  Just note gone, from the inception until it passes.  NOTHING is forever, not you, or anything you have built.  Enjoy only the current moment because it’s all you have.

Nothing beats a good paperback book while blasting down a rocky trail…

The benefits in life come from compound interest.  Investment in knowledge pays exponentially.

The more time you commit to almost anything starts to provide major returns. That goes with relationships, running, and money. Remember, learn to love slow progress!

I’m either ready or I’m not. Worrying about it right now ain’t gonna change a damn thing.  Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen.

This is a critical message to all athletes in the taper phase. It is also about what they tell themselves the night before an event. But for god sake please have a plan if it’s a race…

Decisions can be made for the short-term, or long-term gain choose wisely.

Those who take advantage of people or situations are playing the short-term game. Don’t make problems for future Homer.

Mind is everything.  Muscle – pieces of rubber.  All that I am, I am because of my mind. 

Developing yourself emotionally and mentally is more important than physical feats.

Be kind.  Harsh words are remembered for a long time.

It’s a fine line between being funny, and harsh criticism that puts another person down.  The best humor is self-deprecating, you don’t need to make fun of others.

Thanks for reading. Please share some of your favorite quotes in the comments below.

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