Why run 50 miles?

The plan! Roughly!

I have recently started training for the Mt Hood 50 mile trail run coming up this July. 


Many people have asked me - Why would you ever want to run 50 miles?

My response has been simply for the physical and mental challenge of doing something beyond my current limits. I am not setting out to prove anything to anyone other than myself. To do so would forfeit me of the true reason.

Responses have been no different than when I share about some of the other awesome adventures my life has taken me on. “That sounds miserable.” “Ralfffff!” “Running 50 miles sounds like hell. 2 miles sounds like hell.” “You are crazy!”

I felt a need to get clear on why I am going to put myself through the physical and mental challenge of such an endeavor. So here we go!

I have been a marathon runner since the young age of 17. Through this experience I have come to find no limits in what is possible during life. A deep understanding of what I am truly capable of has been found during 26.2 mile runs and beyond. Many people finish a marathon and move on to the next challenge in life. Going back to a job they do not like. Raising a family. Buying a home. Adopting unhealthy habits. And more… Not always bad, but often times so.

My next challenge is to run 50 miles. I am doing this to experience a greater level of physical, mental and spiritual strength than ever before.

Physically, I am capable of many things. Skiing extreme terrain, climbing mountains, running marathons, rock climbing. I have found no physical limit. I have covered over 40 miles in one day by foot, but never 50 in one consecutive foot race. Am I physically capable of this? On July 12th my preparations will be put to the ultimate test.

Many things in life are mentally challenging. Quitting an unhealthy addiction, running 26.2 miles or biking 850 miles from Hood River to Ogden Utah. I am sure your list is quite different, but a challenge is a challenge. Life is full of them!

In order to complete a 50 mile foot race in good shape I must commit to training for the next 17 weeks. Everyday! I must persevere through the voices in my head that tell me to quit. I must find a new mental ceiling of what my mind can achieve. Through meditation and focus I believe that not only this challenge is possible, but the ones to follow.

I have come to believe in a higher being and my connection only grows stronger with each foot I put forward. Often times all there is between me and one bad decision is the spirit of the marathon. Sometimes something else! I have found through many challenges that when my mind and body have reached complete fatigue I must dig deep inside for something more. I have always been able to find it. It is time to raise the bar.

Am I capable of raising my current bar of what I am physically, mentally and spiritually capable of? I think yes!

I look forward to sharing what these 50 miles bring into my mind and life. I do not know what to expect other than one wild adventure.

Summit as friends!
Scott

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