I was going to write a review of the Bad Dawg Ultra 50K.
But, instead I’m going to share what I spent most of my time thinking about while I ran 31 miles up and down the Ozark Mountains in the 100-degree sunny August heat.
And that is how doing hard things (on purpose) builds confidence, character and strength.
What if the struggle you are in right now is producing something in you that is greater than you even know?
What if, years from now, you look back at this season of your life and realize the pain, the struggle, and the trial you are going through right now was actually the turning point that helped make you the man or woman you have become?
What if the reward on the other side is so much greater than the pain it took to get there?
I think about this a lot when I run ultras.
There are moments during an ultra when I genuinely question why I’m doing this. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. I’m exhausted. I’m hot, cold, thirsty, hungry… or somehow all of those things simultaneously. My mind starts telling me that I’ve had enough.
And then… I keep moving.
I take another step.
Then another.
I get to the next aid station. I eat something. Drink something. Maybe even sit down for a few minutes. But then….
I get back up.
And I keep moving.
Eventually, I look back and realize something: I was capable of getting through something I once thought was impossible.
That’s what I love about doing hard things on purpose.
Running an ultra isn’t just about the miles. The miles are the vehicle. The real training happens somewhere deeper.
Every time I voluntarily put myself in an uncomfortable situation and choose not to quit, I’m teaching myself something.
I’m teaching myself discomfort doesn’t automatically mean the limit.
I’m teaching myself pain doesn’t always mean stop.
I’m teaching myself I can be tired and still move forward.
I’m teaching myself my mind will sometimes tell me I’m finished long before I actually am.
And perhaps most importantly, I’m learning I can do hard things.
That lesson never stays on the trail.
It follows you home.
It follows you into your marriage. Into your parenting. Into your career. Into your faith and beliefs. Into the seasons of life that you never would have chosen for yourself.
Because life is going to be hard whether you train for it or not.
So why not intentionally practice?
Why not occasionally choose the difficult road? Why not put yourself in situations that require discipline, perseverance, patience, and resilience?
Because the goal isn’t to make life harder just for the sake of suffering.
The goal is to become stronger because you went through something difficult.
The more you go through, the more you can get through.
I don’t know what you’re going through right now. Maybe it’s physical. Maybe it’s financial. Maybe it’s your career. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s something nobody else even knows you’re carrying.
But I want you to consider this:
What if this struggle is producing something in you that you can’t see yet?
What if this isn’t the end of your story?
What if years from now you look back at this exact season and realize it was the season that changed you?
Maybe the pain isn’t pointless.
Maybe the struggle is building endurance.
Maybe the trial is developing character.
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”
Romans 5:3-4
Maybe the thing you desperately want to escape is actually building the person you need to become.
You don’t have to enjoy the struggle.
You don’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt.
But you can choose what you do with it.
Keep moving.
Take the next step.
Do hard things.
Because sometimes the person you become on the other side is worth every difficult mile it took to get there.
Andrew Frizzell | Iron Will Weight Loss
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