Experience Life As It Happens, Not As You Expect It to Happen

This is the perfect mantra for running ultra-marathons, but also important for all of life.

The week before my last 24-Hour race, the weather report looked beautiful. It would be low to mid-’50s all day with a bit of cloud cover. No precipitation at all in the forecast.

The day before the race, the weather prediction shifted a little. There would be a little precipitation the night before and a slight chance of rainfall at the start.

As usual with weather predictions, race day turned out quite different.

I was sleeping in our converted mini-van when I was woken up with a torrential downpour and loud, rippling thunder.

The race began with rain falling so hard that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

The rain lasted for the first three hours, and I was completely soaked. It continued to rain off and on throughout the day, finally stopping about fourteen hours in.

As I changed into dry clothes for the third time, I realized I was running out of dry clothes. I suddenly remembered hearing a phrase that resounded in my head and heart at that moment.

Experience life as it happens, not as you expect it to happen.

What an incredibly perfect mantra for running, I thought at the time.

Maybe an even more critical mantra for living life and overcoming all the unexpected challenges.

Running Ultra-Marathons Teaches Life Lessons

When I began running ultra-marathons, I never expected that I would learn so many valuable lessons for life as well.

This last lesson was just one of the multitude I have learned during the previous seven years that have taught me how to live life to the full.

Here are just a couple examples of what I mean.

“Run when you can, walk when you must, but never stop moving.”

This lesson was brought about when I was running up Black Mountain with a friend.

I was valiantly trying to run every section and exhausting myself.

My friend finally stopped me and told me the quote above. He then proceeded to tell me that if I didn’t learn this life lesson, I was going to burn out quickly.

I had just taken over management of a company that had been run into the ground financially. I was running so hard trying to right the ship that I survived on less than four hours of sleep a night.

I realized that trying to go too hard would not right the ship. I slowed down and started prioritizing my time, stopped bringing work home, and business turned around.

By running when I could, walking when I must, and just not stopping — this was when success began to come.

“The key to training for ultra-marathons is not running more miles. It is about creating the discipline to be ABLE to run long distances.”

I thought the secret to running ultra-marathons was running tons of miles.

I learned that the discipline to train my body to keep moving was way more critical to my utter surprise.

Even more surprising was that the same disciplines I developed to be a better ultra-runner would translate into the discipline I needed to be a better husband, friend, and business person.

When you’re disciplined, you know when to speed up and when it’s time to slow down.

You learn to listen, not just to your body as a runner but also to others, especially how to listen to that still small voice that may indicate a course correction is needed.

“Anybody can prepare for the perfect race; however, wisdom teaches you to prepare for the unexpected.”

It doesn’t matter if it’s the weather, your stomach going sour, the sole of your shoe coming off, or a rock slide forcing you to re-route and get back on course as quickly and efficiently as you can.

The unexpected is what you should prepare for.

I ran alone in Little Horn Canyon one day on an out-and-back trail. On my way out, I noticed an overhang of rock that, with the recent snow, seemed to be leaning more than usual.

I continued running up past Leaky Mountain and then turned around. As I rounded the bend, I noticed the overhang was no longer up there. A little further and I saw the rock completely blocking the trail.

Fortunately, I stopped on my way out and quickly took in my surroundings as that still, small voice told me to recognize landmarks in case the rocks slid.

When I pulled my phone out and read my notes, I quickly assessed the safe route around, and even though it was difficult and added a couple of miles, I made it back to the trailhead and truck safely.

Preparing for the unexpected doesn’t mean they’re going to happen.

However, just like life, if you’re prepared for the unexpected, you won’t panic, and you’ll be able to navigate your way around the challenge.

Learning the Joy of Experiencing Life as it Happens

A 2009 article by Paramahamsa Nithyananda in the Economic Times of India best sums up the difference between experiencing life as it happens and living life as you expect it to happen.

Experience Life Every Moment has one line that really says it all, but you need to read the beginning of the story to understand the quote.

“In this whole world, there are only two kinds of people. One category of people experiences life once in a while, and the other category of people experiences life continuously.”

If the last two years haven’t taught all of us to experience life as it happens and to not crater when life doesn’t go as we expect it to, I don’t think anything will ever wake us up.

I saw an Instagram post from one of my favorite ultra-runners the other day that describes this perfectly.

“When it feels impossible to keep moving: deep breaths, reset, there’s always a way. I mean, even a car can be held together by duct tape. Find your duct tape.” Courtney Dauwaulter

I believe we have misplaced what it means to be happy and filled with joy. Too often, we place happiness on what we expect to happen, which is a huge mistake.

When we recapture our happiness and joy by experiencing life as it happens, we get to see the good in everything.

When we see the good in everything, we can better handle the challenges that life will throw our way.