Author: utpal

“It starts with the simple things.  Do one step more than you planned.  Do something better than you planned.  To expand. Then you will start feeling joy from this expansion. It is never comfortable, but ultimately you will feel joy from self-transcendence.”

“We all need to expand and transcend ourselves. Then you will get access to joy.”

Stutisheel describes how that even though he has participated in the race 13 times there is always something new to be learned and experienced.

The eternal lesson the race offers he says is that we all need to depend more upon, God’s compassion, and on God’s grace much more than others faith in you.

“The secret of attaining something unimaginable or impossible is to be as close as possible to the Supreme’s grace and the Supreme’s compassion, and God’s heart.”

“God is not planning to make it difficult for us.  It is actually easy.  All the obstacles we put before ourselves are usually from our own minds.  We just need to be more in our hearts and to be happy.” By doing this he suggests we can start feeling things and doing things that are just unimaginable.

Though Stutisheel was able to run 58 miles yesterday his overall total of 2336 means it is nearly impossible for him to make 3100 miles before the 52 day cut off.  He says that in the past when he has fallen behind he has lost all motivation to keep pushing.  “I was just walking, eating, and sleeping.”

“But now it is different.  I am really continuing to do my best.  I feel from within that I need to continue performing at my maximum.  So I am moving forward.”

Flower

Continue reading “Day 42: You Need To Transcend”

“I am really happy that I am ahead of my schedule, in respect to last year and I hope everything keeps turning for the better.”

“I take every day as a single battle.  I never think about tomorrow, because somehow it never comes.  So every day I try and give my best.  Every day I try and put in the effort to do the work.  I am trying to do all the necessary things that will make me happy at the end of the day. ”

“I would definitely say it is a little half and half.  I always had it as a kid and I have been working on it over the years.  I try to really improve it.  Willpower is a really powerful tool.  If you can hammer than you should do it.”

“I have been pushing and pushing and pushing.  I have no fear that something could happen.  I hold the line and I know what I want so I go for it.”

When talking about his 2 helpers Arpan and Anupam.  “They are the most precious tools for this performance.  They support me in every way.   They care for me.  They know in advance what I need.  What is good for me.  Which kind of food I want.  So they pave the way for a better performance. I would really like to thank them.”

Andrea then went on to offer appreciation to all those who have supported him.  “I am really happy that I can inspire people.”

“Meditation and concentration are very powerful tools.  They give the extra kick let’s say.  Also faith.  You have to have faith in something. This belief pushes you forward when you get in trouble. Then this faith can carry you on.  It is an additional power that I think everybody needs.”

Continue reading “Day 41: Have Faith”

As someone who is prone to grumbling and forecasting that the sky is falling; a slow or fast lap around the course with Ananda-Lahari is one of the best antidotes I know to clinging negativity.  He is literally always positive.  Even today when he is almost 1,000 miles shy of the goal and only 12 days left to do it, he is happy.

He is so content in doing this impossible ordeal, that he is now running for the 17th time that I feel ashamed to complain about any of the real or imagined problems that seem to wash over me when I least expect it.

It is impossible to be glum when he and you are striding along and the smile he is wearing is so dazzling you can feel so unprepared for the cascade of cheerfulness that simply washes over you when in his presence.

I can’t complain when I run with Ananda-Lahari. I simply am required to retreat to my own heart which is a place that he seems to have taken up residence for an enormous portion of his day, and which I am told we all should do a lot more of.

I just have to smile when we are together.  Sometimes not so great a smile which may more resemble an abbreviated frown under closer inspection but a smile nonetheless.

Continue reading “Day 40: Anything Is Possible”

“Sasha has been very good.  This time he is my only helper. (In the past Vasu has been able to count on a number of helpers)

This time he has to do everything by himself.  He has to make it all happen.  But we are trying our best to make it all possible.”

“Inner help is much more important than the outer help.” Vasu feels in particular when Sasha takes a meditation break and leaves the course, when he returns he is energized as well. “I am very grateful to him for that.”

Sasha says that for him helping Vasu is a very special experience.

“I am happy that I can be here.  This is now my 4th time helping Vasu at the race.”

“Of course it is a huge experience.  It is a very long journey and along the way we understand more and go deeper.  We find out that we can all do so much more than we expect of ourselves.  We just have to imagine.”

Continue reading “Day 39: Inner Help”

“About 3 days ago I experienced my rock bottom.  I was feeling so heavy and I couldn’t resist the gravity.  But for some reason after I passed 2000 miles everything got easier.”

“Of course I was tired but somehow everything got easier.”

“So this race has been my goal.  This years race it was not clear whether or not it would be held because of the covid. But the race started, and for me to be part of the race that is everything.  I am so happy.”

“Of course to be able to complete the distance that would be my goal but really to be in the race is so nice it is my goal.”

” I would say that my most elated feelings came was the moment the race started, and I started running.  That was my most excited elated feeling.  But I have to say I try not to get too excited.  I prefer to stay calm and stable.  That is my overall attitude, and what I am trying to achieve.”

Continue reading “Day 38: This Is My Goal”

Wei Ming officially joined the long distance club in 2005 when he participated in his first 100 km race.  It was something he says he didn’t expect after first running a marathon.  “I ran more than 4 hours.  I didn’t expect it would be so hard.  I didn’t realize that pacing was so important for a marathon.” He felt he did not do well.

“I enjoy now the slow pace of ultramarathons.  I enjoy the slowness and being relaxed.”

Wei Ming’s strategy he says is to limit his daily distance to 100km.  A number which he feels is his physical limit.  “It makes sense to me to run this way for 3100 miles. I know what my limitations are.”

“For 32 days I ran more than 100 km.  I have never done this before. I was surprised I could do it but at the same time I started missing home and my family so it gave me mixed feelings. I feel sad at the same time.”

“I feel so much wisdom from Sri Chinmoy.  I feel I am transcending myself here. I appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

Wei Ming first ran a Sri Chinmoy marathon team race in 2014. He says he is not a follower but feels he identifies and is inspired by many of the beliefs and philosophy of Sri Chinmoy.

A few days ago he felt like he was hitting the wall, “but in spite of that I am learning a lot about myself and just how important running is to me.  I really appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

Continue reading “Day 37: Transcend Myself”

“Every day to some degree it feels like the job is being done for me.  And on the better days it really feels like the job is being done for me.”

“On the not so good days it feels like ……either you can say I need to put in more effort.   But that real effort is like praying more for the receptivity to have faith that the job is being done for me.”

“In one sense physically this is a small world.  We are going around and around a small block in Jamaica Queens.  In one sense its small because you don’t have to worry about all the worldly things you normally have to think about or focusing on.  Your main focus is just to keep going forward.”

“That is small in one way, but at the same time it is completely representative of life on earth.  The circular nature of the race is like the whole universe.   The planets go around the sun.”

“Everything about this race is representative of our own life, and of the whole world, and the reality that we all face every day.  The challenges and obstacles as well as the opportunities for us to make progress.  To become more spiritual.  To have more faith in the cosmic flow, in God, and the divinity within ourselves, and to connect more with each other.”

“To really feel the universe inside us and to really feel how we can help each other.”

“I am just one of the people running, but there are so many people making this happen.   There could be hundreds if not thousands of people making this happen in so many different ways. I am just a small part of it.”

Continue reading “Day 36: We Help Each Other”

“What I see, is that quite often people learn theoretical aspects of praying and meditating. But here (3100 mile race ) it is all practical implementation.”

“You test all your knowledge all your capacities.  Without meditation, without involving higher power, without relying on a higher source, it is just impossible to run so long.”

Stutisheel describes his early life as a time when he was looking for a teacher.  “I was looking for somebody wise.  To guide me.  To teach me how to live without making mistakes.”

“So I was happy to find this guidance in Sri Chinmoy.  I found that he was most reliable, my closest friend.  He knows not only what is good for me but also what is best for you at every moment. ”

“None of us can fathom the significance of this race.  Even though I have run here 13 times I still can’t answer what this race is really about.   Because it is so deep.”  He went on to suggest it could have a possible affect on the global stage and of course significantly affect his own personal development.

“Still it is a mystery but it works.”

Stutisheel went on to describe the significance of the upcoming anniversary of Sri Chinmoy’s passing.  “Of course it is a sad day.”

“Of course I realize that he only passed physically.  But whenever I am looking for his help, his guidance, I can still find the same response as when he was still in the physical.”

“He is always here.”

Continue reading “Day 35: A Higher Source”

Over the past few days Andrea’s mileage has spiked.  Consistently in the 70 – 71 mile range it has gone up to two days in a row of 76 miles.

“Yes it is a big jump.  I guess I am losing quite a bit of weight.  So I am getting lighter and lighter.  I feel it helps somehow.”

“I try to eat as clean as possible, no junk food. I try to have a good sleep at night.  So I am always trying to improve small details.  In the end they make a big difference.”

When asked if he is motivated to transcend his previous time in the race.  “I see the possibility, so I have it in mind.  But the race is so long you never know what is going to happen.”

“I have a daily goal and I have a final goal as well.  So for me the race is something that evolves day by day, and I try to do my best.”

“Yesterday what seems to be impossible.  Today it will be possible.  Tomorrow it will be inevitable.”

“Somehow I knew I could do the job.  I try not to push too much.”

“Somehow it is true I did a big jump.  70 to 76 somehow it is a big jump.  I am happy I can kind of hold it.”

“My opinion is that probably 70 to 80% of the race is mental power.  You have to be focused.  You must have determination, and will power.  You cannot give an inch to relaxation.  You cannot slow down or let things slide even a little bit.  Otherwise you collapse.”  Andrea suggests that if he were to slacken his focus things could tumble around him like dominoes.

“So I try to be super focused and super concentrated. I don’t even smile sometimes.” (Which then made  us both laugh out loud.)

Continue reading “Day 34: Impossible Becomes Inevitable”

“The first time I came to the race was 2005,  but I came to the 700 mile race in 1999 or 2000.”

Ananda-Lahari describes his immersion in multi day running not unlike diving into the deep end of a pool when you have barely learned how to swim.

He was used to running on wooded trails while orienteering and distances never longer than 20 km.  “This was a giant step for me to run 700 miles.”

“When I did the 700 mile race I was not thinking of any more. I loved the experience.”  Because of complications with his visa he could not come to the US for the next 4 years.  Instead he says he sought out the longest races possible that were accessible to him there. “I was not trained at all.  I used the races for training.”

“Somehow the idea came that I would like to run this race.  But I was still not brave enough.  I applied but because I did not have a visa they did not take my application seriously.”

“In 2005 I was accepted and I was really happy.  I was literally jumping with joy.”

“Always I want to do my best.  It is not as though I came to have fun or amuse myself. I always want to do my best in terms of speed and mileage.”

“I always do my best according to my understanding.  Sometimes I may not be able to be focused very well.  There is always 100 percent performance every day.”

“This surprises me.  No matter If I do 40 miles or if I do 80 miles. I always go Wow, good job.”

Continue reading “Day 33: Always Do My Best”