What do monks and ultramarathon runners have in common?
Miriam Diaz-Gilbert has been running ultras since 2005 when she ran the JFK 50. Before that she ran many half marathons, marathons and 5K’s. She has been running since 1989. She’s also likes to do rock climbing, indoor climbing,
Miriam was a theology and religious studies professor, working on her doctoral degree. She finished her classes, and when she finished her dissertation, the university closed. She wasn’t able to finish her degree, but she did publish her dissertation in an academic journal. The title “The Ascetic Life of the Ultrarunner.”
She experienced “hitting the wall” in her first marathon. She ran out of gas at mile 19. She stopped dead in her tracks and she said to herself “What the hell? ” Then she started thinking “Wait a second, I’ve already finished 19 miles. What’s left? 7 more? What’s the big deal?” So she kept going, and it was a great experience.
She did 9 marathons before her first 50 mile ultramarathon. that was in 2005 and she was watching 60 minutes where Dean Karnazes and Pam Reed were talking about ultramarathons. She had never heard of ultramarathons before. She remembers hearing how they trained, what they ate, their mentality, and she thought that was just what she needed. She felt like she wanted a bigger challenge.
Miriam really enjoys the ultras because she likes to go the long and uncrowded running. She found that marathons are not so enjoyable because they are so crowded that everyone looks like sardines and she listens to everyone stressing out about their pace and not enjoying the run. When she finished her marathons she felt that she still had a lot of energy even though she was going slow. She’s grateful that she found ultramarathons.
For Miriam running is a spiritual experience, and when she started to learn more about the life of the early Christian ascetics she realized that some of the physical effects of running ultras are similar to the Christian ascetic practices. The early Christian ascetics as well as those in other religions have done the same thing as they renounced the world and undergo voluntary suffering of the body. Ultrarunners do the same when we sign up for 100 mile races. We know that suffering awaits us.
She never imagined she would be a runner because when she was much younger, in school, she was always told she was too tall. She was a mediocre athlete when she played all sports, basketball, softball and field field hockey. She started running in college and found she enjoyed this simple physical act of movement through running. She was about 20 years old when she started running recreationally. She met her husband in college, and cycling is his sport. Together, they’ve stayed active all their lives.
Miriam had a serious health scare after a surgery went sideways. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure, but problems arose that compounded into months-long treatment. To fight infection, Miriam was given Cipro, the atomic bomb of antibiotics. She found later that this drug is banned in Europe and Australia but used often in the US. She was unable to dress herself for 8 months because of Cipro poisoning. Her research, after the fact, found that this is a black-box drug that is not to be given to athletes. Her doctors were surprised that sepsis had not set in. They attributed her resilience to the fact that she was in such good physical condition. Three days before her surgery, she had placed 3rd, female, in a 24-hour ultramarathon.
She is training right now for the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 24 hour track ultra. She is hoping for no rain this year because in 2019 it rained for 11 hours. In August she has a 12-hour Loopy Loop ultra, running in a park. And she’s registered for the Hainesport 24 Hour Endurance run.
Links:
https://www.miriamdiazgilbert.com/
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