Filed under: Dig Deep Races, Eight Point Two News | Tags: trail races peak district, trail races suffolk, ultra running peak district, ultra running suffolk, ultra running uk
We would like to introduce another elite ultra runner who will be speaking at both the Dig Deep Peak District and the Dig Deep Suffolk event. James Adams is a popular figure in the ultra running world and you may have come across him in one of the many ultra running forums or heard about his epic run across America. He has just released his first book to brilliant reviews, which, incidentally you can find on amazon here 😉 So without further ado I will let James introduce himself…
James Adams Running and Stuff
Hi. My name is James and I am a fairly normal person with a regular body and regular mind. I have however completed some endurance challenges that some might find extraordinary. I have run 150 miles in one go several times, run 200 marathons and ultra marathons and a couple of years ago ran across the USA, from Los Angeles to new York. 3200 miles in 70 days, that’s 45 miles a day in what was the worst heatwave in living memory. People say “you must be mentally tough to get through that kind of thing” and I agree, you must be. However I certainly don’t believe I am any more mentally resilient that the next guy. I get upset and angry and paranoid and jealous just like we all do. However I do believe I have some valuable insight into what goes on in the human mind when trying to complete endurance challenges. I have been running ultra marathons for seven years and studying psychology for three and I have made it my mission to try and join the two together. I will be presenting a story of what I have learned about the human brain while running. When I started ultra running I didn’t appreciate that I will be participating in an intense and long term psychological study of on. I think anyone studying psychology should spend a summer running across the States as I reckon you learn more about the human brain while puking your guts up on the side of a road in New Mexico than you would in a lecture theatre. The talk is going to be a combination of the stuff I have run and what I learned about my brain in the process, including;
- What motivates it in general and throughout a race
- How to deal with stress and paranoia that will attack you in a race
- What to do when the task feels overwhelming, or boring, or pointless?
- How to use your mental training to deal with novel event that might pop up in races
- Some general tricks on making yourself feel awesome
Ultimately I hope to answer the question “Why I bother?”
I have also written a book about my adventures over the last few years. Running and Stuff is available on amazon.
My blog is here www.runningandstuff.com
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