Thus says the "Ultramarathon Man," Dean Karnazes, as profiled by Wired (via Instapundit). I think it's fascinating:
If something goes wrong - and it inevitably will - it's usually with Karnazes' feet. In races and on training runs, he has battled giant, foot-devouring blisters. A surprisingly effective treatment: Krazy Glue. Pop the blister, slather the wound with the super-adhesive, and voilà - your foot is ready to take a beating again. The glue acts as a kind of indestructible second skin and has helped Karnazes finish competitions he wouldn't have otherwise. (Officially, Krazy Glue recommends avoiding all contact with skin.)
He devours over 9000 calories a day in his running streaks (a true hunter-gatherer diet of high fat, low sugar, no less), and manages incredible feats:
Over the next 14 years, Karnazes challenged almost every known endurance running limit. He covered 350 miles without sleeping. (It took more than three days.) He ran the first and only marathon to the South Pole (finishing second), and a few months ago, at age 44, he completed 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, one in each of the 50 states. (The last one was in New York City. After that, he decided to run home to San Francisco.)
I honestly don't understand long distance runners -- I know they exist, but they seem utterly foreign and strange to me. Some think they are the model for ancient humans. As for me, well ...
"Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness," he says.
I don't know about you, but I'm not confused!
