Destroying the body to forge the mind

I think the trade-off was worth it… but I’m not quite sure yet.

As I’m writing this, I just finished running (mostly limping) 48 miles in 48 hours, as a non-runner. I like pretending that I’m as tough as David Goggins.

This is a breakdown of how it went:

1. Mile 8: Feeling a pinch in my right knee.
   That fine, lighter steps keep my pace pretty steady
2. Mile 12: Left ankle swells up and isn’t bending so smoothly anymore.
   Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
3. Mile 18: Right knee doesn’t bend anymore.
   No problem, I can Terry Fox it.
4. Mile 21: Left ankle stops bending.
   I’m basically walking at this point and I have more than half left. Uh oh.
5. Mile 44: Right ankle stops bending.
   At this point, it doesn’t really matter. I’m pretty much done anyways.

That run is the most prolonged pain I’ve ever experienced to date, and it was 100% self-inflicted. The last 27 miles took almost 9 hours.

Still, I finished.

My body will heal within a couple weeks, but I will carry the certainty that I can finish extremely hard things for the rest of my life.

This is obviously not something I should put myself through every month, but I think there is value in doing it again. Three times a year, maybe? We’ll see.