6 ms·

The Spiritual Life of the Long-Distance Runner

27 points by pmcpinto 11y ago

ck2 11y ago
18 minute miles for 40 days. It boggles the mind. Keep in mind the average walker does 20 minute miles so it is barely faster than walking but still, 40 days. I've done marathons and I wouldn't walk for 40 days unless my life depended on it. This story reminds me of that one guy with an actual "superpower". He has the genetics where his muscles can actually burn lactic acid as fuel. So he has impossible endurance. Dean Karnazes - has run 350 miles in 80 hours (13 minute miles). He's done 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days.
- MaybiusStrip 11y ago
  Not to diminish Dean Karnazes' feat, but you might be interested to find out someone recently did 50 Ironman races in 50 days (http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/50-ironmans-in-50-days-in-50-states http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/50-ironmans-in-...). An Ironman includes a 2.4 mile swim and a 100 mile bike ride in addition to a full-length marathon.
  - ck2 11y ago
    That actually does diminish his feat. An ironman each day as a workout. Just imagine that. Wow.
    - whatusername 11y ago
      If you haven't heard the story before -- I'm a big fan of Cliff Young: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/10/a-61-year-old-potato-farmer-once-won-one-of-the-worlds-most-grueling-athletic-competitions/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/10/a-61-year-ol...
- djhn 11y ago
  Lactate is used as a fuel - by everyone. It's all actually really interesting: TCA cycle (a.k.a Krebs cycle) in the muscle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle and kind of also Cory cycle (which involves the liver) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cori_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cori_cycle
alisson 11y ago
Reminded me of this couple on their 60s that ran everyday for 366 days covering 10,000 miles, and they live on raw fruits and vegetables: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/couple-run-marathons-record-366-days-row-article-1.1563451 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/couple-run-marathons-r...
- ck2 11y ago
  That's mind blowing. I wonder how many pairs of sneakers they went through. Also wonder if they chat while they run or just like running together.
michael_h 11y ago
I'm envious of people who get the 'runners high'. I've run for hours to no effect except rubbery legs and boredom. I like riding a bike because going fast is fun, but the work of it gives me nothing.
- nsxwolf 11y ago
  Long ago I used to think I got the 'runners high', but it was really the ephedrine.
- leonroy 11y ago
  Where do you run? I found it took regularity and running in the woods (rather than the city) before I was able to get that feeling of calming and mild euphoria. Not sure if it's runner's high but it sure felt good!
  - michael_h 11y ago
    Woods, city, suburbs - doesn't seem to matter.
padobson 11y ago
I love running and I love praying. I can confirm that there is some overlap in the benefits of each.
cafard 11y ago
I can't really claim to have been an ultramarathoner--I ran four or five 36-mile races and one 50, all long ago. I don't remember the ultramarathoners I met (at my own races and a couple of 100-mile races where I handled for a friend) as being particularly spiritual.
dahart 11y ago
Long distance running has some interesting similarities with startup life, IMO, that relate directly to the author's premise. Not the same, of course, but you can still ask the same questions: What makes the entrepreneur keep going when it's hard work, and they're tired, nearly out of money, low on sleep, hitting the extremes of mood and ability, month after month? What motivation is there to just keep going when it's not clear there's an end? I'm no ultra marathoner, but I've recently done some marathon length trail runs just for fun, it was liberating and fun to be able to cover long distances on foot without a vehicle, and I automatically started thinking about longer runs. The article seems to suggest there's a special brand of weird, that ultra marathoners are very different. I rather think it's human nature to see how far you can go, no matter what you're doing, and always curious and interesting to think about and/or experience what kind of mental states people go through when doing some activity to the exclusion of other things.

27 points by pmcpinto 11y ago

ck2 11y ago

18 minute miles for 40 days. It boggles the mind. Keep in mind the average walker does 20 minute miles so it is barely faster than walking but still, 40 days. I've done marathons and I wouldn't walk for 40 days unless my life depended on it. This story reminds me of that one guy with an actual "superpower". He has the genetics where his muscles can actually burn lactic acid as fuel. So he has impossible endurance. Dean Karnazes - has run 350 miles in 80 hours (13 minute miles). He's done 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days.

MaybiusStrip 11y ago
Not to diminish Dean Karnazes' feat, but you might be interested to find out someone recently did 50 Ironman races in 50 days (http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/50-ironmans-in-50-days-in-50-states http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/50-ironmans-in-...). An Ironman includes a 2.4 mile swim and a 100 mile bike ride in addition to a full-length marathon.
- ck2 11y ago
  That actually does diminish his feat. An ironman each day as a workout. Just imagine that. Wow.
  - whatusername 11y ago
    If you haven't heard the story before -- I'm a big fan of Cliff Young: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/10/a-61-year-old-potato-farmer-once-won-one-of-the-worlds-most-grueling-athletic-competitions/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/10/a-61-year-ol...
djhn 11y ago
Lactate is used as a fuel - by everyone. It's all actually really interesting: TCA cycle (a.k.a Krebs cycle) in the muscle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle and kind of also Cory cycle (which involves the liver) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cori_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cori_cycle

alisson 11y ago

Reminded me of this couple on their 60s that ran everyday for 366 days covering 10,000 miles, and they live on raw fruits and vegetables: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/couple-run-marathons-record-366-days-row-article-1.1563451 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/couple-run-marathons-r...

ck2 11y ago
That's mind blowing. I wonder how many pairs of sneakers they went through. Also wonder if they chat while they run or just like running together.

michael_h 11y ago

I'm envious of people who get the 'runners high'. I've run for hours to no effect except rubbery legs and boredom. I like riding a bike because going fast is fun, but the work of it gives me nothing.

nsxwolf 11y ago
Long ago I used to think I got the 'runners high', but it was really the ephedrine.
leonroy 11y ago
Where do you run? I found it took regularity and running in the woods (rather than the city) before I was able to get that feeling of calming and mild euphoria. Not sure if it's runner's high but it sure felt good!
- michael_h 11y ago
  Woods, city, suburbs - doesn't seem to matter.

padobson 11y ago

I love running and I love praying. I can confirm that there is some overlap in the benefits of each.

cafard 11y ago

I can't really claim to have been an ultramarathoner--I ran four or five 36-mile races and one 50, all long ago. I don't remember the ultramarathoners I met (at my own races and a couple of 100-mile races where I handled for a friend) as being particularly spiritual.

dahart 11y ago

Long distance running has some interesting similarities with startup life, IMO, that relate directly to the author's premise. Not the same, of course, but you can still ask the same questions: What makes the entrepreneur keep going when it's hard work, and they're tired, nearly out of money, low on sleep, hitting the extremes of mood and ability, month after month? What motivation is there to just keep going when it's not clear there's an end? I'm no ultra marathoner, but I've recently done some marathon length trail runs just for fun, it was liberating and fun to be able to cover long distances on foot without a vehicle, and I automatically started thinking about longer runs. The article seems to suggest there's a special brand of weird, that ultra marathoners are very different. I rather think it's human nature to see how far you can go, no matter what you're doing, and always curious and interesting to think about and/or experience what kind of mental states people go through when doing some activity to the exclusion of other things.