Sounds like some sort of self-inflicted punishment, doesn’t it? Endurance sport is all about pain and suffering and we love it. To endure, to persevere, to overcome, and see it through the dark tunnel of discomfort, desperation, deep exhaustion and come out at the other end victorious, is the ultimate high we keep on chasing. Watch the finish line emotions and you will see raw expressions of relief, exhilaration, tears of joy, pride, comradery, utter elation. People are hugging perfect strangers and building strong bonds with people they literally just met because they’ve suffered this journey together and shared these hours in a way only endurance athletes can understand.
Why do we do this? Maybe it’s because it reminds us of life’s struggles. Can we handle them without an ability to endure the pain that life inevitably brings? Most who enter these punishing races know they will not win or come even close to any kind of glory so why do it? Because it’s a chance to develop an ability to endure. Not to wimp out but to overcome. Do you want to see what you’re made of? Try running a marathon. It will cause you to question everything you know about yourself. It’s a chance to turn weakness into strength.
Since we know that suffering is an avoidable part of any endurance sport, the longer we practice, the more we figure out how to cope, suppress, ignore, dismiss, embrace and ultimately defeat it. We have these bags of tricks we accumulate and keep handy, ready to pull out of the invisible pocket at a moment of crisis. Without which, dare I say, you will probably implode when faced with pain. That’s why we train, train, train and train some more.
When you first attempt an endurance sport, it feels like it’s killing you. Everything hurts and I’m dying, right? After years of practice, you feel in control of the very thing that was trying to defeat you. That voice that tells you to quit, to end your pain, is now struggling for legitimacy as you’ve learned to overcome it.
Seems so strange that humans would willingly choose suffering. Is it just for the reward of the finish line accomplishment? Maybe in short races but not in endurance sports. It’s too long to be thinking about the finish line reward. You are there for hours and something needs to be motivating you to continue the unbearable pain. And let’s not forget, we’re also competing against others. You’ve trained hard and you want to see how you stack up against others who are sharing this suffer fest with you. Who will crack first? The carnage that takes place from mile 20 through 26 is truly a sight to see. You will inevitably be talking to yourself as you fight through those last miles.
“Overcoming, overcoming, pain, PAIN!”
You want to be done, but you won’t let yourself give up.
“Who else is giving up?”
You look around and all you see are dead men walking, slugging, forgetting proper posture, just one foot in front of the other. Moving, not stopping, walking, shuffling, running, walking again, in so much pain. Your brain is having trouble processing information at this point. Now you’re talking to yourself (or with yourself?). Sometimes it’s “you” and sometimes it’s “I”. You’re not sure why but it feels like there are two people inside you at that moment.
“Is it mile 24 yet? Two more? I can’t take another step. Of course you can, just one more mile and see what happens.”
You start seeing things that are not there. Mirage of mile 25? No, not yet.
“Oh God, why does it feel like between mile 24 and 25 is 10 miles not 1. Finally mile 25! FINALLY! Oh man I feel great! Just one more to go! Aren’t you glad you didn’t give up earlier? Yes, I can do this! YES I CAN!”
Overcome with emotion you forget that you will need to run another 0.2 miles afterwards but it doesn’t matter because the switch from defeated slugger to overjoyed badass has been made and nothing can shake it off. Your legs are numb and you’ve crossed over from red hot pain into this weird numb, rubber legs, no pain zone. You ponder how can that be but shrug it off and happily finish the race feeling like you could have run another 5 miles with this newfound energy.
None of this can be possible until you face up to your ultimate foe you’re competing against. Yourself. You against you. Quit or continue. The small tempting voice will be challenging you to end your pain. Another voice, the warrior, one that has also become very familiar through training, counters that by offering you a winner’s attitude. Yes I can! I will! I am strong and I can do this! The longer you train, the more you develop the ability to hear what you need to hear to do what you need to do.
No pain, no gain? We’ve heard it many times. When lifting weights, the feeling of your muscles struggling to move during those last repetitions is so satisfying. The burn! Yes, we love the burn. It hurts so good! Why is that? Because we know we are building something, making our body work to gain something bigger. Stronger! It’s the same with endurance sports. Yes, it hurts, it hurts like hell but the longer you do it, the more it becomes an old friend (or adversary?) that you have come to know quite well. You understand it, no longer intimidated by it or scared of it. It doesn’t faze you. It’s the devil you know. Will it still try to shake you? Oh yes it will. Every single time. Without fail, here comes the pain, and here comes the temptation to quit. Understanding that pain is part of the process, expect it, be ready to give an answer why you will choose to continue to suffer instead of quitting.
There’s no way to get around it. So don’t even try to figure out how to do this without pain. When it shows up, it reminds you that you have chosen this battle of wills. It hurts so good! You feel alive when faced with pain you defeat it by refusing to stop. The adrenaline rush of seeing it through is incredible. It’s worth it, so worth it! For those of us who have tasted this, we want it again and again. You become tougher, stronger, mentally and physically. You are rewarded with victory over yourself, incredible memories, and life altering achievements.
But first, hello pain my old friend we meet again.
“People think I’m crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness. I’ve now come to believe that quite the opposite is the case. Never are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in. There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.” – Dean Karnazes