You must train regularly and there are rarely any shortcuts.

Once you master breaking down the mental wall of running, there are no limits. When you both see and believe that you can run further, run faster, you can.

Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” There is truth in that thought. Considering my own experience, I tailored it a little: every child is a runner. The problem is how to remain a runner once we grow up.

Most ultramarathons are a sufferfest. I have concluded that it does not matter who you are or how much training you have completed, everyone suffers at some point during an ultra. What differentiates ultrarunners is how they handle themselves in the low moments.

I started easy, so I reminded myself of the wisdom I had often heard repeated by experienced ultrarunners: it’s not about who goes the fastest, it’s about who doesn’t slow down the most.

Resting when you are tired at mountain races is unwise until you reach lower altitudes, I have learned.

It was only sifting through depths that deep that I was able to uncover my soul. Maybe it was not really about this race; it was about finding those few thoughts that transcended the darkness, the ones that would only be conjured up within my head during times of need. Maybe it was finding a spiritual level of flow while running, floating down the trail like I’ve never experienced before, finding myself running within ultra.

It can be hard, out there during a tough race or long run gone wrong, to remember that we choose these mental and physical tests. We are fortunate to experience these events.

There is no finish like the one you questioned.