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Do Hard Things Because They Are Hard

Last week I went to Utah to run an unusual marathon. My time was well over two hours slower than any marathon I've done, but that was by design—I was running with someone who was doing a series of extreme events back-to-back, every day for 100 days in a row.

The pace, therefore, was slow.

His name is James Lawrence, more popularly known as the Iron Cowboy. I'd heard of James a year or two ago after watching a documentary of his previous quest where he attempted (and accomplished, with a few small variations along the way) 50 Ironman-distance triathlons in 50 states in 50 days.

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Et Cetera

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This Canadian Woman Is Running a Half-Marathon Every Day for 70 Days in a Row

In January of this year, I heard from Emily Rudow in Toronto. Emily had just finished running 10k (6.1 miles) every day for 31 consecutive days. I thought that was pretty cool!

But it turns out she was just getting started. Emily is now undertaking a much bigger quest: to set a Guinness World Record by running a half-marathon for more consecutive days than anyone else.

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Profiles

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Man Celebrates 60th Birthday by Running 525 Miles Across the Spanish Pyrenees

To celebrate his sixtieth birthday, Andrew Townsend ran from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea – 525 miles across the Spanish Pyrenees climbing a total of 104,000 ft (4 Everests!) in 27 days. If that wasn’t enough, in 2015, he ran 8 marathons, in 8 countries, in only 8 days! Surprisingly, he spent most of his life behind a desk and didn’t start running until he was well into his 50’s proving once again that it’s never too late to get started.

It was day eleven. I had already run 227 miles and climbed 49,000 feet, but I still wasn’t even halfway there. It was just after 5:00am, but I was already up despite not having an alarm set as my aches and pains provided the necessary wake up call I needed. After a quick shower and with teeth brushed, I was ready for the next onerous task of the day – trying to find some clean running gear or perhaps I should say the least dirty!

Next up was the rucksack ritual – working out what I could discard to reduce the weight, followed by deciding I needed everything and re-packing it. Each day it felt like I had accumulate more things although I knew this wasn’t possible. After all, there were no shops.

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Giveaway: Stridebox – A Treasure Chest for Runners

Friday is giveaway day. Comment to win! Stridebox

This week's giveaway comes from Oregon-based company, Stridebox. This runner-lovin' business collects the latest racing goodies and sends them monthly to subscribers (...in a box, hence the name). It's a fun idea and only costs $15 a month.

Even if you're not an avid runner, you could use this box as inspiration to get started, or just use the reflective laces and lights in your hip-hop dance class.

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Life

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Arbitrary Numbers, Part II

After publishing yesterday’s post, I realized I also wrote about arbitrary goals in The Happiness of Pursuit. Here’s the story: I use an app on my phone to track my running, especially the longer runs that I do most Sunday mornings. On a recent eight-mile run, I noticed that my pace was consistently around 8:34…

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Life

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It’s Always Good to Run

Time after time I remind myself of this truth. When it’s raining… when I’m tired… when I’m stressed or busy. Plenty of times, I just don’t want to do it! I want to stay where I am and keep working, or have a drink, or take a nap. But then, more often than not, I…

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Life

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When to Stop and When to Keep Going

The challenge of the amateur is to know when to stop and when to push through. I still remember what became known as the most challenging run of my life … twenty excruciating miles. It was a few weeks before a marathon I’d promised to complete, and I simply had to extend the distance of…

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Life

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Running In Your Mind

“They say there’s no harm in daydreaming, but there is.” -Charlaine Harris When I run, I wish I could say I was fully focused on my surroundings. I live within running distance of a waterfront with half a dozen bridges, a beautiful (although steep) inactive volcano, and if I go a bit further, several nice…

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Life

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Chicago Marathon: Mission Complete

Yesterday I got up early ... and ran 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago! This was my fourth marathon, but I haven't done one in several years and was somewhat worried. I had been apprehensive after not being able to train as much as I should have, and also after feeling some pain in my right leg on the longest run before the race. Thankfully, all was well yesterday. From start to finish, I felt comfortable. Even at the end, I was tired but not as exhausted as I've been for every other long race.

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