This one will be a quick thought.  I think that most of us have a fascination with different people.  Primarily the interest would be in people who are a little bit different and who have fascinating life stories - the type that inspire.

One such person is Cliff Young (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Young_%28athlete%29).  There, you can read about him yourself if you want as well.  Cliff was a less-than-well-to-do Australian potato farmer.  He grew up on a giant sheep ranch.  Apparently, when a huge storm was coming in, they could see it from a long distance out there in the Outback and being less-than-well-to-do they didn't have four wheelers or stables with horses, so he would run across their expansive ranch and herd in the sheep on foot.  Apparently, he had done this for two or three days before without sleeping; this certainly isn't my idea of a good time.

So when the first 544 mile Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon was slated in 1983, Cliff showed up.  He had no sponsorship or professional running training.  He was also 61 years of age.  He showed up apparently wearing overalls and galoshes.  Some in the race didn't want to allow his entry.  They were afraid that the crazy toothless man from the boonies would hurt himself.  When it started they figured they were right.  He didn't run as fast as anyone else.  He did one major thing differently though.

All the running experts of the day knew that if a man was to continue a high distance foot race, he could only run for 18 hours.  He then had to rest six to save his body for a continued thrashing in the coming days.  However, Mr. Young was not privy to this.  So he didn't sleep.  He eventually caught up, and after over five days he won by a long margin.  He raced it again in future years, completing some, not finishing others, and never achieving another winning finish.  Future winners however followed Cliff's lead.  To win that race, you didn't sleep, not more than a nap here and there anyway.

Conventional wisdom is an interesting thing.  People give advice and expert opinions on a regular basis.  My livelihood is based largely on delivering professional opinions, so I am somewhat attached to them myself.  What "wisdom" do we have that is bogus?  Is it that you can't run 24 hours a day for multiple days.  Is it that you don't have enough education for a certain profession?  Are you not smart enough to do something?  Not strong enough?  Will people just not want to hear your point of view?

People give advice for good reasons.  Running coaches didn't want to see their athletes run out of gas two days into their race, or get sick, or who knows . . . die?  As a result of that however, apparently no one had tried it.  The native people near Mount Everest, Sherpas, are used by any wise mountaineer wanting to crest that mountain.  They hold all the time records for climbing the mountain, particularly the records for climbing it without oxygen assistance.  They are an incredibly strong and versatile people, but not a single one of them had climbed that mountain until white men came and wanted to climb it.  White men knew that they would have trouble with the feat, saw the fortitude of the Sherpa people, and recruited their assistance in the climbs.  The Sherpa were better climbers, but were not the first to crest the mountain.

Some beliefs guide and protect while others restrain.  What do you hold as a truth that may just be smoke in mirrors?  Something to think about.

Nanti, 

-C