I think the biggest reason for me after all these years of running ultramarathons and testing my body was really to, you know, find a new level of adventure, it's really experiencing things and having to deal with adversity and, you know, events that you never anticipated.

Scott Jurek

Categorized in : Science

But the longer and further I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind- a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.

Scott Jurek

running beauty inspirational

As powerful as our legs are, as magnificent as our lungs and arms and muscles are, nothing matters more than the mind.

Scott Jurek

legs powerful mind

You can hurt more than you ever thought possible, then continue until you discover that hurting isn't that big a deal.

Scott Jurek

endurance bigs hurt

It's a hard, simple calculus: Run until you can't run anymore. Then run some more. Find a new source of energy and will. Then run even faster.

Scott Jurek

energy simple running

Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn't sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10K race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 pounds, or telling someone you love her (or him).

Scott Jurek

careers race running

Fear is what makes you come alive, the lure of the unknown - can I do this? - thats where the growth comes from, the pain. I dont remember the running effortlessly; I remember the hard times; adversity breathes transformation.

Scott Jurek

adversity pain running

We strive toward a goal, and whether we achieve it or not is important, but it's not what's most important. What matters is how we move toward that goal.

Scott Jurek

what-matters goal moving

Most of all, the ultra distance leaves you alone with your thoughts to an excruciating extent. Whatever song you have in your head had better be a good one. Whatever story you are telling yourself had better be a story about going on. There is no room for negativity. The reason most people quit has nothing to do with their body.

Scott Jurek

distance song people

We all lose sometimes. We fail to get what we want. Friends and loved ones leave. We make a decision we regret. We try our hardest and come up short. It's not the losing that defines us. It's how we lose. It's what we do afterward.

Scott Jurek

regret decision trying

The reward of running — of anything — lies within us … We focus on something external to motivate us, but we need to remember that it’s the process of reaching for that prize — not the prize itself — that can bring us peace and joy.

Scott Jurek

focus running lying

Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn't sure he can accomplish.

Scott Jurek

accomplish

Rational assessments too often led to rational surrenders.

Scott Jurek

rational assessment surrender

Humans aren't built to sit all day. Nor are we built for the kinds of repetitive, small movements that so much of today's specialized work demands. Our bodies crave big, varied movements that originate at the core of our body.

Scott Jurek

demand movement body

You could carry your burdens lightly or with great effort. You could worry about tomorrow or not. You could imagine horrible fates or garland-filled tomorrows. None of it mattered as long as you moved, as long as you did something. Asking why was fine, but it wasn't action. Nothing brought the rewards of moving, of running. Sometimes you just do things.

Scott Jurek

fate running moving

The point was living with grace, decency, and attention to the world, and breaking free of the artificial constructs in your own life.

Scott Jurek

grace attention world

Nature's arena has a way of humbling and energizing us.

Scott Jurek

energizing arena way

We can live as we were meant to live - simply, joyously, of and on the earth. We can live with all our effort and with pure happiness.

Scott Jurek

vegan effort earth

Train where your fitness is NOW, not where you want to be.

Scott Jurek

train want

What we eat is a matter of life and death.

Scott Jurek

life-and-death matter

Only the most saintly and delusional among us welcomes all pain as challenge, perceives all loss as harsh blessing.

Scott Jurek

pain blessing loss