a year ago
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Posted On: July 23rd 2025, 12:56 am
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4 Life Insights Running my first Ultramarathon at @traversefitness Sunrise to Sunset, a 4.1 mile, 12 hour relay.
1) The best way to understand someone is through lived experience.
With every lap, legs grew heavier and heavier as the heat compounded and the miles piled on. I knew, though, that every person running alongside me was also struggling one way or another. On lap 7, I had a bit of an emotional experience, where I could feel Coach @rjhoward847 pain in some way. I won’t pretend to fully understand his suffering, but I did get a tiny taste for what that feels like - and in that spoon sized sample, I grew respect for people like him who - for their own reasons - willingly suffer through these races.
2) Words have influence.
Back at basecamp at the end of Lap 5, when I felt like I could have easily called it a day, it was Coach @b_lagreca_ that matter of factly said “you have 2 more laps in you,” and that I just needed to “find my flow and my rhythm.” I could hear the conviction in his voice that he believed in me. One thing that makes you a good coach is how much you believe in your people-and I felt that. Having one person in your corner who believes in you can be the difference between experiencing life and missing an opportunity to.
3) Sometimes it’s better to move slowly than to not move at all.
I was dealing with some Achilles’ issues during the last two laps, but found that I could continue if I began a 4 min walk: 1 min run interval. It was a perfect analogy to relax around my limitations, to be gentle with myself, and to embrace the idea that you’re often doing the best you can at any given moment. Inevitably, you can get somewhere great taking your time too.
4) Friendships are forged in shared experience.
I felt this way for the Traverse crew I bonded with at Hyrox Miami. And I felt this way on this race. That I shared a unique experience with a lot of really kind, supportive people who were there to experience something unique and challenging. And in this shared experience, I lowered walls I had surrounding people I barely knew or had misconceptions about. Life is better when you let people in yours.
Let’s do it again next year.
1) The best way to understand someone is through lived experience.
With every lap, legs grew heavier and heavier as the heat compounded and the miles piled on. I knew, though, that every person running alongside me was also struggling one way or another. On lap 7, I had a bit of an emotional experience, where I could feel Coach @rjhoward847 pain in some way. I won’t pretend to fully understand his suffering, but I did get a tiny taste for what that feels like - and in that spoon sized sample, I grew respect for people like him who - for their own reasons - willingly suffer through these races.
2) Words have influence.
Back at basecamp at the end of Lap 5, when I felt like I could have easily called it a day, it was Coach @b_lagreca_ that matter of factly said “you have 2 more laps in you,” and that I just needed to “find my flow and my rhythm.” I could hear the conviction in his voice that he believed in me. One thing that makes you a good coach is how much you believe in your people-and I felt that. Having one person in your corner who believes in you can be the difference between experiencing life and missing an opportunity to.
3) Sometimes it’s better to move slowly than to not move at all.
I was dealing with some Achilles’ issues during the last two laps, but found that I could continue if I began a 4 min walk: 1 min run interval. It was a perfect analogy to relax around my limitations, to be gentle with myself, and to embrace the idea that you’re often doing the best you can at any given moment. Inevitably, you can get somewhere great taking your time too.
4) Friendships are forged in shared experience.
I felt this way for the Traverse crew I bonded with at Hyrox Miami. And I felt this way on this race. That I shared a unique experience with a lot of really kind, supportive people who were there to experience something unique and challenging. And in this shared experience, I lowered walls I had surrounding people I barely knew or had misconceptions about. Life is better when you let people in yours.
Let’s do it again next year.
Comments (7)
a year agomaggieannham
All of these are life game changers. Thank you for sharing!!! See you next year
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