Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
By: Dean Karnazes
“The cross-country guys hung out in late-night coffee shops and read books by Kafka and Kerouac. They rarely talked about running; it was just something they did.”
“Disillusioned with the trappings of the corporate scene, the things that really mattered – friendship and exploration, personal expansion and a sense of meaning – had gotten all twisted around making a lot of money and buying stuff. I hungered for a place where I could explore nature and my capabilities, away from a corporate office in a corporate building in a big city with crowded supermalls and people judging me by the car I drove.”
“Focusing on work in the afternoon became increasingly difficult because I couldn’t wait to head off for a run.”
Note: See page 72 for an absurd Course Profile comparison between Boston Marathon and the devastating Heartbreak Hill versus the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.
“Thoreau once said that a man’s riches are based on what he can do without.”
“Soon I began experiencing the effects of the high altitude. My head grew light, and the surrounding scenery started to look dreamlike and distant. My fingers swelled so that I had difficulty opening and closing my hands.”
“I washed down a handful of pretzels with some Cytomax, an electrolyte replacement and lactic-acid-buffering solution popular with endurance athletes.”
“It’s called nyctalopia, or night blindness. It can be caused by lowered blood pressure or exposure to bright light during the day. The body’s capacity to produce a chemical compound called rhodopsin, or visual purple, which is necessary for the perception of objects in dim light, is temporarily impaired.”
“Most dreams die a slow death. They’re conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral.”
“Outdoor World Championships, a week-long, multi-sport event that included trail running, mountain biking, windsurfing, climbing, and a triathlon.”
“Beyond running 80 to 120 miles per week, along with mountain biking, surfing, and windsurfing regularly, my routine consists of 200 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, and 400 sit-ups – twice a day.”
“Often I find myself living on four hours of a sleep a night for weeks on end, trying to keep the dynamics of family, work, and running in balance. Forgoing sleep is the only way I’ve figured out how to fit it all in.”
“Running has taught me that the pursuit of a passion matters more than the passion itself. Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity – continually improve, never give up – this is fulfillment, this is success.”
“As a running buddy once said to me: Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: “WOW!! what a ride!”
Leave a Reply