Heather Newman of the Detroit Free Press wrote a great article about ultrarunning for the local Dances with Dirt 50m/50k in Hell, MI last weekend. It features four profiles of runners who used ultras to come back from health issues and get a new perspective on life. A few of my favorite quotes:"Because the events are a little smaller, you get to know people better," he said. "It's a whole 'nuther world. It's not about winning the race. You show up at an ultra, and people are laughing and patting each other on the back. You're taking a journey together."You can read the full article here.
And it's not just the events that keep her running. The long training days, timed around her job as a third and fourth-grade math and science teacher at Daycroft Montessori in Ann Arbor, Mich., keep her mind clear, too. "I use the parks as my Zen, my mental playground," she said. "I give my cares over to the world. It's entrancing when you get into the woods. You lose the moments. You lose the time. You're just out there."
"I think about everything. What my life is, and why I'm doing what I'm doing. Things kind of evaporate, and you're left with just the things that matter to you. You get very, very focused on just one thing at a time," Bourque said. "You have to pick and choose things to dream about at the finish line. I think about the kids with wheelchairs, and diseases and I just keep pushing myself for those that can't. I'm truly grateful to have a fully functioning body, and I want to push it as far as I can."
BTW, the costumes for the Dances with Dirt Team competition are AWESOME. Check out the video below.
- SD
See y'all at Skyline tomorrow! Should be perfect running weather - 50's to 70's.
ReplyDeleteSD
Good article.. Pretty inspirational.
ReplyDeleteI volunteered at the race at the same station as Bill Moyer. He is a great, great dude. Before reading the article, I would never have even thought he was an ultra runner. It was a great time. I highly recommend volunteering some time at these races. It's a really rewarding experience.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott,
ReplyDeleteI've driven several times through Hell, MI, and thought it's the perfect town for an race!
I recently came across your blog and enjoyed reading through your archives as a fellow runner.
Over the past few months, I've been helping build http://www.ontri.com - a community-based website for marathoners and triathletes. I wanted to let you know about the site, and wondered if you would be interested in posting about it in your blog.
Keep on running,
Josiah
http://www.ontri.com
Hello Scott. I am loving this website, so great. And fun graphics and pics too! I wanted to let you know about an upcoming 30 Mile challenge event in October.
ReplyDeletehttp://blueplanetrun.org/30-mile - We do exciting endurance events to raise funding for sustainable water projects abroad. Our next event is a virtual 30 Mile Challenge. I was wondering if it would be possible to get on your schedule/calendar?
Thanks for the fun anecdotes!
Fellow Ultra Enthusiast,
Vanessa
Quick endurance question for you...I regularly run 50-70 miles a month, but almost always just 5 miles at a time. I'd like to run a half marathon this weekend, but am wondering if I have the endurance necessary to go 13.1 at a reasonable speed. My normal rate is 7:30 a mile. Thanks for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteDan
hi,this is a good blog!!^^
ReplyDelete