Post run thoughts

The Death Race is one of those strange circumstances where the memory of the misery is quickly erased by the memory of the experience.  Why do people come back time and time again and why are longer and more grueling races cropping up every year offering more pain, and more misery than the others.  Thinking more on this my blog is quickly going to deviate from its original content.

The most common question, Why run the Death Race?  One answer may be “because it’s called the Death Race”.  Similarly to Sir Edmund Hillary’s response “ because it’s there” in response to climbing Mt. Everest.  Is there an element of this attitude of self-servitude in all we seek to accomplish? To achieve something others have not, to belong to a club exclusive. While there is a select few of humans that run marathons, there is an even greater few that stick with the martial arts for longer than six months, a blue belt even less, a black belt scant few, never mind a seventh degree. 

Training in the martial arts I understand why I do it.  There is a list of reasons a mile long.  Most important to me, is seeing the positive value it has within my life, including my health, my confidence, my control, and my relationships.  But pondering on the Death Race, and really thinking about why every race coordinator is shooting for the title “toughest ultra-marathon in North America!” I begin to investigate a little further.  I believe that challenges in these forms are filling a void in many humans for the wrong reasons.  There is an ongoing attitude that my accomplishment because it is exclusive diminishes yours.

Why then do I run to the back to pick up a broom from a toiling black belt.  Is this exclusivity, not contradictory to what I just wrote.  No.  Because I am not picking up the broom to save the black belt toil, or because they have earned the right not to do such tasks.  I pick up the broom because it is a training opportunity and the black belt gives me the broom because they recognize there is a far higher value in an accomplishment that is achieved under the dome of humility and respect. 

An accomplishment achieved without arrogance; An achievement valued on its merit as to how it fits into serving me in my life.  This is a good approach and seems to be what I observe more often in Silent River martial artists and less so in other activities. It is probably why it seems so exclusive, (not by choice) because it tends to remove arrogance and fails to fuel many peoples need for recognition and status.  This is ironic because martial arts currently have belt and ranking system, and tends to cause a misnomer that mastery is driven by these negative factors.

This is probably why I enjoyed running on a team with 4 Silent River team mates.  The race never defined us, the experience did.  Thanks to everyone, it was a wonderful experience this year.

On another note, thanks to everyone from the I Ho Chuan that have been checking in on me, and just keeping me in the loop.  I really appreciate that!

Until next week.

 

Vince.