I am an ambitious runner and I am not. Okay, maybe that sounds like a contradiction. Let me explain. 

I am not ambitious, because I don’t care about fast times or high rankings. Sure, it was fun to finish in second place at the Tulpenloop in Swifterbant, The Netherlands, last April but I know there were no fast runners there. It was just a run for fun. 

Trying to be fast, will just get me injured again. Besides that: I have never been really fast. 

Ambition

So what makes me an ambitious runner? Running a lot of big, beautiful races. I love being in the mountains, in the forests and in the hills  and in the countryside. I want to run big races, like Zegama in Spain, where the people go crazy when the runners come by. Next year I want to run again in the Dolomites, up and down those breathtaking mountains. I want to run through fairy-tale forests in Scotland. Through fjords in Norway and along steep, white cliffs in the South of England. 

And I want it now. A week like this just showed me again, there is only today. Nobody knows what tomorrow brings. 

Heart failure

Last weekend a good friend of ours had heart failure in the middle of the night. Super healthy guy. Mechanical problem. He survived. Luckily. Last Thursday my former mother-in-law died. Cancer. Last night my best friend’s mother died. Cancer. Who dares to say how much time I have left? 

I am just over two months away from turning 50. I am healthy, but that is no guarantee. Having a week like this, just makes me realise I have to make the most out of every day.

Running an ultra

Of course, I can’t just run an ultra race. Neither a marathon. I have to train, like everybody else. Not just trail running, also strength and mobility. Luckily that’s something I love to do. So, I should make it a priority in my life. 

I don’t think anybody ever died, regretting that he or she didn’t work enough. I do think a lot of people die, realizing that they could have made more of their life. So let’s race!