New Running Quote

I recently read the book by Dean Karnazes, Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-night Runner. Much of it really struck a cord. There is something about ultra runners that just takes an ultra runner to understand.

But while I felt that connection, I felt he really struck out on his main point. His answer for why he runs, well, sucked. Or maybe it was one of the few parts of the book that didn’t really resonate with me. That and his hallucination at the end of WS about being part of something bigger and all being connected or what ever he was trying to say under the stress of 98 miles. I can see why it is a lightening rod in the ultra community.

I’ve tried to answer the why question many times. I feel I’ve come close at times but never quite hit it. But this week I think I heard the best answer so far. It was in a JFK speech when he was talking about putting a man on the moon. I’ve heard part of this many times as have most people. What I hadn’t heard of that speech is the why.

"...NOT because it is easy, but because it is hard. Because THAT GOAL will serve to organize and measure the BEST of our energies and skills. Because THAT challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one that we are unwilling to postpone, and one that we intend to win!"