This is article 2 in the SP100 list, highlighting elite athletes' and coaches' achievements, philosophies and methodologies. These articles highlight stories and careers that have potentially been missed or gone under the radar by the mainstream media.
When discussing mind-blowing athletic accomplishments, look no further than Courtney Dauwalter. The Big Dog Ultra is a last-man/woman standing race requiring athletes to physically and mentally push themselves to new levels. The Big Dog ultra involves runners consecutively running 4.167 miles (6.71km) laps in less than one hour for as many hours as possible. After each lap, if any time remains of the hour, athletes can rest for the next hour cycle. In 2020 Courtney set a very impressive world record.
Within the Big Dog Ultra race, she set a new world record for the longest distance ever run by a woman. In 56 hours, 52 minutes, and 29 seconds, Courtney managed to run 283.3 miles (455.93km). She averaged roughly 5 miles an hour over two days of consistent exercise. While many of us use running to set personal challenges of park run PBs, or finishing a marathon, Courtney is the epitome of what the human body can physically achieve.
Truly dig deep
Many athletes, coaches and motivational speakers talk of the importance of 'digging deep'. Gritting your teeth and pushing through the barrier you're facing is often considered the way to succeed. Through her record in the Big Dog Ultra, Courtney was awarded The George Mallory Award. This prestigious award is given to individuals who have pushed human performance's boundaries and redefined what we believe possible.
Ultra-running is a sport that only attracts those looking to challenge themselves deeply. It involves gruelling training and competition, and pain and discomfort are unavoidable. When interviewed on the topic of how she can mentally dig deep in these challenging competitions, Courtney detailed her strategy of 'getting comfy in the pain cave'.
In an interview with The Stride Forward podcast, Courtney was asked how she carried on when she mentally felt she could no longer continue. She responded:
'It's that place you get to when it feels like you can't go anymore and you've reached your limit, but if you just can dig in a little bit more, you enter the pain cave and, uh, it's, yeah, it's a pretty special place where you're finding out what's really possible for yourself. Just keep on digging into this cave.
I used to picture a really comfy chair and like a fluffy rug, and like the pain cable is where I pushed into it and entered it. But then, once I was there, I just relaxed and hung out in the pain cave. And there was like a, not a place of action. It was a place that I got to and then just stayed.
Now I picture it more where I put on a hard hat, and I grab a chisel, and I am trying to make my cave as big as possible. And so, I'm like heading back into these caverns and just chiselling away, and it is the place where I'm actually doing work. And, um, this is where like production happens. And this is the whole purpose of why I'm ultra-running is to make this cave as big as possible.
This idea of a pain cave is a fascinating one. It can relate to running and various tasks and challenges we all face in daily life where we are mentally struggling. From physical training to mentally demanding or draining cognitive tasks, it is very easy to feel like you need to give up. It is a helpless task to feel like you cannot continue.
Elite performers like Courtney demonstrate that you can hit a breakthrough if you dig deep enough. A point when you are deep enough in that you can create comfort with the challenge and maintain incredible levels of effort, even while under pressure and stress.
Find your true limit
In 2017, Courtney entered the Run Rabbit Run 100. This race involves racing 100-mile runs through the mountains in the Routt National Forest of northern Colorado. A hilly and rocky course with very uneven terrain underfoot. Eighty-eight miles in, disaster struck Courtney. While running through the mountain paths, with twelve miles to go, she lost her sight. The fatigue and stress she was putting her body through caused temporary blindness. She was isolated in a remote area, still miles away from the comforts and medical care of the finishing line. No one would have blamed her if she had stopped running, found a safe place to rest and waited for help. However, that was not on her agenda that day. She was in the lead and had no intention of giving the race up.
While only partially seeing the small terrain area directly under her, she powered on with the race. She continued to run 12 miles through the trails of northern Colorado. Courtney was able to not only finish the 100-mile race but also maintain her lead over the other women and take home the title. Afterwards, when asked what would be an issue worthy of pulling out of a race, she was very relaxed in her response:
'Bones sticking out of my skin, signs of rhabdomyolysis (when muscle breakdown causes damage to the kidneys) or heat stroke. Anything that could do serious damage to long-term health. Apart from that, I try not to allow excuses to be good enough.'
While I would never recommend anyone to risk their health or eyesight in these ways, it does raise the idea of human limits. It is very easy to say 'I cannot do this anymore' and mentally justify to ourselves that we must stop. However, this has been shown time and time again to be incorrect. Exhaustion and struggle are generated by the brain. The brain will work to protect the body from any risk of harm. The brain subconsciously alerts the muscles to slow down. This creates the illusion that you can no longer continue your training because your body ceases to work. However, you can override this defence mechanism. By acknowledging your brain's concerns and reaffirming that you are okay to continue and safe from harm, your brain will relax and allow you to continue. While this is not something that comes naturally to most, athletes such as Courtney demonstrate that once mastered, your limits are removed and what you can accomplish increases tenfold.
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