David Goggins Ultramarathoner

I found this video on facebook of all places: Titled marathon videos.

David, who is also a Navy Sealcompleted the Mcnaughton 150 mile ultra-marathon in 33 hours.

In this motivational video he says quite a bit about the drive to finish things, to keep trying, and to perservere. For me this is the essence of why I run, kayak, or do anything. He says, “you have to be able to visualize yourself succeeding.” This really is why most people stay on the couch, they cannot picture the steps in between taking action and success. Whether it is running, kayaking, or biking, I’ve always had to have a mental picture of what my line is. In surf kayaking nothing can be more true. You have to be able to picture the greenwater ride before take-off otherwise you end up munched. The same holds true for running. I had to be able to visualize what 26.2 miles would feel like and picture myself finishing in order for it to happen. If anything that moment will stand with me for the rest of my life, because I had worked so hard to get there, and perhaps performed even better than I expected, it was one of the best days of my life.

Granted failure often teaches us more. All of my ugly swims before nailing a good roll were demonstrably more effective than successes in the pool. Yet I have to mentally picture the kayak sitting calmly upside down, setting up, the sweep and the layback to be able to roll up when it is really chaotic in the surf zone.

This video of David is pretty great, as is his cause. Being able to complete so many ultra-marathons with so many injuries defies conception even for people who have completed marathons. While I am not typically a flag-waver, these are the sort of people I want fighting for, and representing my country.