Active vs. passive challenges. The hard you choose vs. the hard you don’t. I’m back again for my 12th time at Blues Cruise 50K, the race that started it all. I was trying to figure out what made me take that initial leap of faith to the longer distance. How are things different now, having made that decision? Has it improved my life? That’s what this post will focus on, and why it’s so important to have challenges you choose vs. just the ones life hands you.
I think part of it was I was searching for my endurance identity. I wanted to be able to call myself an “ultrarunner.” I had just finished my second Olympic distance triathlon. While they were fun, I never felt comfortable in the water, and a bike accident left me in the hospital for nine days. The first Blues Cruise opened my eyes to a world of adventure on the trails. I had done a handful of trail races, but nothing this long. It was the right amount of hard/uncertain fun, and the idea that some don’t finish really intrigued me. It was a hard I was choosing that most people thought was crazy. My parents were concerned about the distance and how long I was running, which seems hilarious now compared to some of my latest efforts. When others are questioning your life decisions, you know you are going in the right direction. They couldn’t wrap their brains around what was enjoyable about it.
For me, it was the fascination with new details that didn’t exist in any other race I had done before. Food intake, foot care, drop bags? How much pain could I endure? How do you pace this thing? Even as I come back after all this time, pace is one of those things you never know if you have fully dialed in until you’re more than ⅔ into the race. I was so nervous heading into this event, and now to see it morph into a footnote at the end of each season is amazing. This year, I gave it a lot more attention in my training, using lots of vert training and a very detailed plan for this year. I think I am primed to have a “good” year.
The reason this race was so important, like the shorter ones that came before it, was it was a challenge I picked vs. one I did not. There’s a lot of science on taking on challenges you choose; in psychology, it’s called “stress inoculation.” The basic idea: if you face manageable and chosen stress, you get better at handling all kinds of stress. That’s what I have seen in my life. I can’t be fazed by much after being completely drained in some of these events. When you master a hard thing that you willingly took on, you start to believe, “Hey, I can do hard stuff.” That belief has stuck with me, and life just keeps throwing something unexpected. The 50K was that first example of cramping and pain I had NEVER before felt in any event before it.
Ultrarunners are experts at choosing suffering on purpose. Training for and finishing races means you’re constantly pushing through discomfort and testing your mental limits. Research has shown athletes have higher pain tolerance and can handle emotional distress better than people who don’t do endurance sports. It’s why sports are such an important part of life, and why it’s important for kids and adults to be involved in them.
I have discovered more about myself in the depths of ultrarunning than in any other activity that I have done. It’s built confidence and a deep sense of community and connection with others who are on the same crazy journey. Some of my best friends I have had were made and met on the trail and in the community.
Blues Cruise showed that if I loaded my year with a bunch of challenges that scared the crap out of me, I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, and kept meeting new people and seeing new places as long as I kept coming back and kept training. I always added Blues Cruise because it was that first important win that sparked many that followed. I kept increasing the challenge until the point at which I have done some amazing races, been to amazing places, and helped amazing people. They are my calling card in ultras; the 100s became part of the hardest things I have done, and there are still so many more to take on. How crazy is it that one simple decision so long ago could have such long-lasting effects? It all started with that first step, that leap of faith to a new distance that seemed crazy. 50Ks are now normal, like a 5K becomes nothing to a marathoner. It’s perspective, it’s relative, but it’s intense at any distance.
Challenges are coming for you regardless. They are coming in all different forms, from ones you choose to ones you do not. Stress is a necessary part of our system, but not too much. Each ultra presents a unique challenge that’s relative to the person, the training they have put in, and the physical state they are in. They all teach the same thing: that constant effort will get you to the finish line. Congrats to anyone who is about to take on Blues Cruise for their first time. They are lucky, because they could be at the doorstep to a life of adventure, friendship, and challenges that will bring them to some amazing places. Have a great race, and I’ll see you on the starting line!
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey. You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.
