4 ms·

This is just so alien to me. I know it's not rare but the idea of pushing my physical limits or competing for no reward holds absolutely no appeal for me. I onl

by tootie 4y ago

This is just so alien to me. I know it's not rare but the idea of pushing my physical limits or competing for no reward holds absolutely no appeal for me. I only aim to be healthy which is hard enough with a chronic illness.

RandallBrown 4y ago
The reward of an ultramarathon is doing something you (and many other people) don't think you can do. It's "fun".
- justinwp 4y ago
  Yeah, I just completed a 100 mile ultramarathon where over half of the starters didn't finish. I was miserable (heat, blisters, quads busted from downhills), but right now I am trying to fill in the rest of the year with similar events!
  - brantonb 4y ago
    I did two long training days in Cool this past weekend, on some of the same trails as Canyons the week before. High temperatures were in the low 50°s. Y’all got really unlucky with the heat. That DNF rate was brutal — congrats on getting a finish!
- tootie 4y ago
  I superficially understand why people enjoy it, I just can't relate. It doesn't sound fun at all. Sounds like masochism.
  - qumpis 4y ago
    Yes, to me too. I of course admire people who can push themselves this hard. Does the reward only come after the racing? In the memory, accomplishment? Seems like many runners are academic and high-achievers in different fields, who're able to carry out long-term projects - I wonder how these traits in career and hobby of running relate
    - jebarker 4y ago
      > Does the reward only come after the racing? In the memory, accomplishment? I started our ultra running because I wanted the achievements. That would never have sustained me doing it over the long term though. Eventually I learned to slow down a bit during the races so that it was less of a sufferfest and I could enjoy them more in the moment. Now just being "out there" is the reward.
  - RankingMember 4y ago
    Have you tried it? "Runner's high" is a real thing.
- brantonb 4y ago
  > It’s “fun”. Type 2 fun is my favorite way of describing it. Usually starts with good intentions, it’s miserable while it’s happening, but afterwards the mind convinces itself that the experience was enjoyable. https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale
hinkley 4y ago
Have you heard of the hedonic treadmill? I believe the treadmill goes both directions. Someone who's ridden a century or run a marathon has a much different concept of what a stressful day looks like. There were always two groups of developers who seemed particularly unflappable: the cyclists, and the ex-military (I will say the ex-submariner took it too far and he was so calm he went straight into creepy). There are no guarantees here, but there are patterns. We had a particularly high maintenance manager who was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, for instance. I wonder now what she would have been like if she weren't running. Terrifying. I don't think that means you have to engage in endurance sports, but maybe joining a volunteer group that cleans parks or repairs wetlands would be good not just for your self esteem but also your sanity.
- tootie 4y ago
  The only ex-military I worked with was fired for stealing company resources. The most unflappable people I work with are the parents.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - hinkley 3y ago
    I wasn't so much celebrating the ethics of the military as giving an example of people who know the meaning of the word 'difficulty'.
asdfman123 4y ago
Exercise seems miserable, but most exercise isn’t actually that intense, and your body adapts. Your body craves it. I feel great after workouts, and tense on my rest days. At times it becomes utterly blissful, like spiritually blissful, and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy otherwise. People have a vested interest in pretending exercise is miserable to cast themselves as spiritually superior, but they actually usually like it quite a bit.
- tootie 3y ago
  I mean, I have exercised pretty intensely when I was younger and it never didn't feel like work. Not when I was doing something solo like weight lifting or something more socially engaging like martial arts. There were times it was moderately satisfying if I could perform a technique smoothly for the first time, but it never didn't feel like work. And I hurt myself overexerting more than once. As a middle-aged person, it's much worse. It's not only not satisfying, but extremely difficult to get any measurable results. Lifting weights routinely left me sore and not any stronger when I recovered. Exercise is very much miserable and I don't like it at all. I presume it's biological to some degree that some people feel the bliss and some just don't.
serpix 3y ago
Running 7 hours straight vs sitting on a chair 7 hours. I would choose running 7 hours as it is easier. This is how much running changes you.
xur17 3y ago
I didn't get into exercising until I was in my 20s, but it absolutely has a reward. In general I just feel "better". Mood is improved, back pain is gone, etc. And I'm just starting to appreciate the parts about pushing my physical limits in the past few years. When skiing, it's fun to push myself to the limits of what I can do while still staying in control and safe. When running, it's fun to push yourself the limits of what you can do, running faster, longer, etc. Ran my first half marathon with a friend this last weekend, and it was a blast.

by tootie 4y ago

RandallBrown 4y ago

The reward of an ultramarathon is doing something you (and many other people) don't think you can do. It's "fun".

justinwp 4y ago
Yeah, I just completed a 100 mile ultramarathon where over half of the starters didn't finish. I was miserable (heat, blisters, quads busted from downhills), but right now I am trying to fill in the rest of the year with similar events!
- brantonb 4y ago
  I did two long training days in Cool this past weekend, on some of the same trails as Canyons the week before. High temperatures were in the low 50°s. Y’all got really unlucky with the heat. That DNF rate was brutal — congrats on getting a finish!
tootie 4y ago
I superficially understand why people enjoy it, I just can't relate. It doesn't sound fun at all. Sounds like masochism.
- qumpis 4y ago
  Yes, to me too. I of course admire people who can push themselves this hard. Does the reward only come after the racing? In the memory, accomplishment? Seems like many runners are academic and high-achievers in different fields, who're able to carry out long-term projects - I wonder how these traits in career and hobby of running relate
  - jebarker 4y ago
    > Does the reward only come after the racing? In the memory, accomplishment? I started our ultra running because I wanted the achievements. That would never have sustained me doing it over the long term though. Eventually I learned to slow down a bit during the races so that it was less of a sufferfest and I could enjoy them more in the moment. Now just being "out there" is the reward.
- RankingMember 4y ago
  Have you tried it? "Runner's high" is a real thing.
brantonb 4y ago
> It’s “fun”. Type 2 fun is my favorite way of describing it. Usually starts with good intentions, it’s miserable while it’s happening, but afterwards the mind convinces itself that the experience was enjoyable. https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale

hinkley 4y ago

Have you heard of the hedonic treadmill? I believe the treadmill goes both directions. Someone who's ridden a century or run a marathon has a much different concept of what a stressful day looks like. There were always two groups of developers who seemed particularly unflappable: the cyclists, and the ex-military (I will say the ex-submariner took it too far and he was so calm he went straight into creepy). There are no guarantees here, but there are patterns. We had a particularly high maintenance manager who was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, for instance. I wonder now what she would have been like if she weren't running. Terrifying. I don't think that means you have to engage in endurance sports, but maybe joining a volunteer group that cleans parks or repairs wetlands would be good not just for your self esteem but also your sanity.

tootie 4y ago
The only ex-military I worked with was fired for stealing company resources. The most unflappable people I work with are the parents.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- hinkley 3y ago
  I wasn't so much celebrating the ethics of the military as giving an example of people who know the meaning of the word 'difficulty'.

asdfman123 4y ago

Exercise seems miserable, but most exercise isn’t actually that intense, and your body adapts. Your body craves it. I feel great after workouts, and tense on my rest days. At times it becomes utterly blissful, like spiritually blissful, and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy otherwise. People have a vested interest in pretending exercise is miserable to cast themselves as spiritually superior, but they actually usually like it quite a bit.

tootie 3y ago
I mean, I have exercised pretty intensely when I was younger and it never didn't feel like work. Not when I was doing something solo like weight lifting or something more socially engaging like martial arts. There were times it was moderately satisfying if I could perform a technique smoothly for the first time, but it never didn't feel like work. And I hurt myself overexerting more than once. As a middle-aged person, it's much worse. It's not only not satisfying, but extremely difficult to get any measurable results. Lifting weights routinely left me sore and not any stronger when I recovered. Exercise is very much miserable and I don't like it at all. I presume it's biological to some degree that some people feel the bliss and some just don't.

serpix 3y ago

Running 7 hours straight vs sitting on a chair 7 hours. I would choose running 7 hours as it is easier. This is how much running changes you.

xur17 3y ago

I didn't get into exercising until I was in my 20s, but it absolutely has a reward. In general I just feel "better". Mood is improved, back pain is gone, etc. And I'm just starting to appreciate the parts about pushing my physical limits in the past few years. When skiing, it's fun to push myself to the limits of what I can do while still staying in control and safe. When running, it's fun to push yourself the limits of what you can do, running faster, longer, etc. Ran my first half marathon with a friend this last weekend, and it was a blast.