Taylor Spike is an Ultrarunner who has completed over ten 50 mile ultramarathons and he’s raced in ultramarthons that are 100 miles and even 200+ miles long! Taylor wrestled with substance abuse from the time he was a teenager into his adulthood. Taylor has a history of struggling with obsessive tendencies with alcohol and prescribed pain medication. I have met people who have been prescribed medication for an injury and some will eventually develop an attachment to taking the medication and will seek to take it recreationally. In my anecdotal experience, this is a minority, however I find it fascinating like I find the difference between recreational drug users and addicts. I was raised in a family where my siblings and parents struggled with substance abuse. 

I would blame the substances and I would fear myself; I was deeply afraid of falling in love with a feeling or material thing so much that I would hurt myself for it. Ironically, I would do that with relationships, food, etc.. It seemed a fundamental problem to being a person, at least for me, and for some other people I have met in life. 

Taylor has a history of Ultrarunning, completing these very tough experiences and he has pulled himself from the depths of his cycle of addiction. Taylor talks about his challenges with Ultrarunning in ways that are reminiscent of his proclivity to use alcohol excessively, however, the result in running is more fitness, greater reward for tackling large challenges, delayed gratification, community, character insights for everyday life, non-standard states of consciousness, etc.. 

When you make mistakes in your training as an ultrarunner you still have the same internal problems as you carried with you in your other habits, but the structure of training makes those internal problems the main focus. If you make mistakes in this environment, the damages are not as costly. 

I relate with Taylor Spike in that I love intense experiences. That feeling, without a constructive outlet, wreaks havoc on my life. Within the right context, my proclivities are helpful and give me a sense of meaning and confidence. 

As Taylor would put it, “Smile, life’s worth it!”