100 miles...
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| This is how my brain tries to take in 100 miles |
My whole body aches at the thought of it.
If my feet blistered at 13.1 miles, what would happen at 100 miles? I'd suspect they just fall off. No question about it.
But she asked if anyone wanted the link to follow her progress... I DO ... I DO!!!... & she sent it out. I had my phone with me during that Saturday & checking her Facebook page, checking the real time link on her progress.
Isn't technology amazing? I loved following people when they ran Boston as well.
Sorry - got side tracked.
I saw though she had put on Facebook a comment that this 100 miler may be dropped down to a 50 miler. She was having issues. Not just aches & pains - breathing issues. Stuff you don't mess with. Stuff you can't mess with. I mean, you need to be able to breath to get through life... especially when you're running 100 miles.
I read through some of the comment & some of them shocked me.
I get the cheering on, rooting, giving encouragement... but some of the comments were like, "Suck it up"...
well, probably not those words - but that's how it came off to me.
It's funny because I see a lot of people who are suffering injuries & questioning whether they should continue on in training, or do a race & you will always see comments like, "Go for it" - "Do it anyways" - "Push through"
I think it hits me because when I was training one time, I was exhausted... I didn't want to go out for a long run. I ended up crying the whole way, frustrated because I was just tired & worn out... I got home & my husband said, "Why did you do it?" & I said, "Because when I told you I didn't want to do it, you said, "Oh, stop! You can do it"
... he obviously was just being encouraging.
But I just wanted him to say, "Its OK if you don't do it today"
Marriage - where you want husband to be able to read your mind
He said, "I know if I told you not to do it, you'd be mad at me for that"... which I probably would be too & say, "I'm not a slacker" & storm out the door.
But its the OPTION of knowing its OK to not do something...
& I know that in my heart... I just like to hear it form someone else.
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| I don't want to hear it from this guy though |
For someone to say, "Even if you don't make it all the way through, you've still come so far. You're still awesome"
Isn't it funny how we feel like we let people down that we don't even really know - or really, who could care less. I mean, the next day, the person who told this lady, "Suck it up" (not really) - did they think of her 100 miles she ran? Probably not. But she even put on her blog post that she felt like she would have to hide & change her blog name & disappear if she didn't make it to the end...
You can read her post right HERE ... if you don't read her blog, you're gonna love her!
So what do you think about pushing someone?
Is there a fine line?
Do you feel like sometimes it's just too much & you want someone to say, "It's OK whatever you choose?"
Do you like the "suck it up" attitude? ... it does push me sometimes too.
Am I just sensitive? ... which is VERY possible... I cry over Hallmark commercials afterall. & don't get me started on the Sarah McLachlan animal commercials! Oh geez.
100 miles is unfathomable to me... anyone who does that is a beast!! So awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think you make some great points here. The key is to be able to tell the difference between yeah I can definitely go on and wow I think I need to stop now. Huge difference between pushing through a tough run and pushing through something that could cause something very serious. I can only imagine what all could happen during a 100 miler... I mean, people have collapsed after half marathons...you never know what could happen at an ultra. It is individualized on such a high level... you HAVE to be in tune with your body and what is going on.
Sometimes you need to hear "suck it up" and sometimes you don't. In the end it is about your own decision though because nobody else can feel what you feel!
Yep... I totally agree... Races are ultimately a race against ourselves. So if it makes John Doe unhappy, screw that :)
DeleteI'm with you 100% on this one. If she had, Heaven forbid, dropped to the ground because she didn't listen to her body...those same "suck it up" folks would be singing a new song. I usually tell myself to suck it up when I don't feel like going to the gym.
ReplyDelete100 miles.... just thinking about it, like...ummm...no. The "suck it up" attitude is good until there is danger of injury or illness. For someone to tell her to suck it up when having respiratory issues its terrible, especially because was not dropping but running 50 MILES instead.
ReplyDeleteJust signing up for a 100 miler is incredible and I don't think the suck it up attitude is a good one to have. I believe in encouragement and support, within reason. And let's be real here, 50m is NOTHING to scoff about!! She has my utmost respect!
ReplyDeleteshe sounds amazing. hubby always tries to be encouraging, but honestly? when i want to work out, i dont need encouragement (dih) and when i dont, all i want is to sit my booty down and know its ok to be lazy sometimes, and thats when he tries to be encouraging, and it makes me feel like he is saying 'you need to work out, i will look down on you if you dont' which is absolutely NOT what he is saying, i just get emotional. and the suck it up mentality, no way jose. not for me. im all 'you can do it! go you!' but if i was following her, i would have probably said 'you can do it!' at first but then 'dont hurt yourself! you've done great! thats enough!' or something. haha.
ReplyDeleteYou have to kind of know the personality of the person before you can say something like that. I did CrossFit for a couple of years, and the coaches definitely had that kind of attitude. Sometimes it was for the better, because some personalities are just looking for someone to push them. Other times there could have been an injury happening that is causing the flagging. If the athlete responds to a "suck it up" comment at that point, they could make themselves worse. It comes down to knowing your own body and your own limits and letting that take precedence over what others are saying.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a moody one too :) One day it would be encouraging to me, the next, I'll want to kick someone in the shins for the same comment :) #IamWoman :)
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