I recently listened to a podcast between Dylan Bowman and Yassine Diboun—two ultrarunners that I respect and draw inspiration from—and they recalled a 100-mile race they participated in years ago. They both laughed as they talked about how a few of the frontrunners, themselves included, were saying mid-race that they’d never do another 100 again.

Sure, it's ok to mindlessly unplug every once in a while to refresh our brains. And a little mental junk food is alright when it's not cutting into priorities.

But where do we draw the line, and what is the tradeoff?

That’s just how sacred time ought to be. Amazing, yet fleeting.

I recently finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and it has me dissecting my habits and how they complement or detract from my use of my sacred time. What habits are good and that I can build upon, and which are squandering the time that I work so hard to carve out for myself? 

An ongoing document of quotes that I’ve jotted down whenever they’ve impacted me:

Whether you spend five minutes or two hours a day, consistency is key. Always.

Start where you are, figure out the process you can adopt and commit to, and find ways to enjoy your journey towards whatever outcome excites you—even if you won’t achieve it immediately.

But just because two things aren’t cohesive on the exterior doesn’t mean that we can’t apply transferrable lessons from one to the other.

Take ultrarunning and the many benefits I’ve gained from this practice and sport. If I think about all that I’ve learned from my time on the roads and trails, three stand out because of their application to parenthood:

Just because you addressed your fear and insecurity one time doesn’t mean that your work is finished, and you can check a box. It will come back, and you will find yourself where you were. So it’s a good idea to subject yourself to your fears often to build the strongest foundation that you can. That way, when something frightful comes your way, you are better prepared to handle it.

I’ve avoided structure, in running, writing, or anything I’ve dictated as a hobby because I told myself I didn’t want to rob these activities of the joy I initially was experiencing. But, when you spend so much time dedicated to certain activities, they can become more than just hobbies, especially if you treat them that way.

I share this anecdote to highlight two realizations that became crystal clear to me after this weekend’s accomplishment: you don’t have to feel like it to show up, and if you keep showing up you’re going to move the needle.

People appreciate effort. It doesn’t have to be exorbitant or unprecedented. Just a little more than what’s expected.

The interesting observation about today’s disconnected and too-comfortable world is that any additional effort can oftentimes be received as exorbitant or unprecedented.

I wanted to run ultramarathons. 

And not just any ultramarathons. Mountain ultras. The things I had read about in books and seen in YouTube videos, but never thought I’d be capable of.

I decided I was going to go all in to truly test my body and my mind.

We came back home and things settled down for a bit as they often do on any good Sunday. I walked into the living room where Callie was lounging on the couch. I stared at her for some time, appreciating her innocence, calmness, and contentment. I turned and made my way out of the room, but she could sense I was there.

Sometimes, all you can do is appreciate the good days, don’t wait until tomorrow to do the things you want to do today, and love the ones you got while you got them.

And remember, you must die.

This is a difficult journey, and the road ahead is easier with company. No one wants to fight their demons alone. Reach out to the people who care the most. Talk about your challenges. Ask for support whenever it’s needed. And if your support system is small or nonexistent, then search for a group to help you fill that void.

It’s hard enough to explain why you would want to run 100 miles in 24 hours to someone, but to explain why you still log 50-100 mile training weeks without any race scheduled or any events in mind is even more difficult.

The 5 AM wake-up is not something I created and it’s not some revolutionary idea - just get up earlier so that you have more time and focus to do the things you want or need to get done.

Simple.

But putting it into practice is where things become difficult.