I always enjoy getting out in nature. It is even better when I am accompanied by friends. I recently was able to get out into nature for a hike with a friend. Our conversation meandered all over the place and covered a great many topics.

Believe it or not Running almost didn’t come up. But, it did come up. I know you are surprised right. I talked about running. Shocking news. But, I swear I did not bring up running. It was my friend who brought up the topic of running.

Even more interesting, they raised the topic of Ultra Running. My preferred form of running to think about and talk about. We didn’t talk about running for a long time, but as we did one question regarding ultra running was posed to me. Why run 100 miles.

Running 100 miles

There are a lot of reasons one may choose to run 100 miles. Often there is not just one reason to decide to run 100 miles. But, for me the obvious first answer I gave off the top of my head was this. I run 100 miles to challenge myself. To see if I can. Testing my body and seeing what I am truly capable of. I think that is part of what makes life worth living.

You don’t have to test yourself physically. But, what else is life for other than doing amazing things. Things that scare you and test you. Challenge yourself in ways you never thought you would. Stretch and push your boundaries.

Part of what I enjoy about running 100 miles is Learning how to run 100 miles. I enjoy the process of learning. I am always interested in learning new things. The pursuit of education was a long persisting theme in my life for better or worse, because I really liked gaining knowledge.

Always learning

I have never stopped learning. I try to learn new things regularly. Photography is another passion of mine and it gives me a vast well of learning to do. Read, listen, watch. Gain knowledge of how to create new images. Learn how to edit and process images. Share those images with the public, which is a whole different type of challenge to take on.

I have always wanted to be able to draw. And I finally started to commit more to actually learning how to draw. Challenging myself by learning new things. Stretching and growing who I am and how I exist in the world.

That is what I love about running and especially ultra running. It stretches and allows me to grow and become who I am. Running changes me. It changes who I am and how I exist in the world and how I relate to life around me. Being open to new challenges will do that.

Why do you run?

If you enjoyed this article you can click the link below to support the work I do here or subscribe to my email so you don’t miss out in anything I share.