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John Maynard's avatar

I love your advice to your younger self, especially this part: "Do the race ... for the hopelessly unrepeatable moments. Do it for the things it gives you in the moment, not for the promise it will somehow make you better." Maybe these things transform us. I think what makes them special is how fleeting they are. And while we can't repeat them, they're etched into our memories and carved into our souls.

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Read before You Ultra's avatar

What a lovely, bittersweet thought. Thank you for sharing it (and for reading).

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Jessica's avatar

"As you can tell, while my goals for the race were modest, my expectations were quite high." Very powerful line, and very relatable. Thank you for sharing this series!

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Read before You Ultra's avatar

Thanks for reading, Jessica, I appreciate you being here!

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Jeff Calvert's avatar

As I read this, I’m sitting at the 55-mile aid station of a hundred-mile race, patiently waiting for my buddy to get here (I’m pacing him through the overnight). Thank you for giving me something pertinent (and fairly profound) to think about during the next many hours.

Also… Martin Eden!! I heartily second your recommendation (I wasn’t sure anyone else even knew about this book, and it’s so good.)

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Read before You Ultra's avatar

I wasn’t sure anybody knew about it either! I’ve always thought it should be more popular, it really is a masterpiece.

Thank you for the kind words, and best of luck to you and your friend!

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