*Article edited on March 9, 2021 for accuracy. I incorrectly attributed this quote to Lazarus Lake in my original article from April 5, 2020.
It never always gets worse is a signature quote from David “Horty” Horton. Dr. David Horton is an accomplished ultra runner who has won the Hardrock 100 twice and who has set a number of impressive FKTs. I learned about David Horton from Scott and Jenny Jurek’s excellent book, North. It never always gets worse was the advice that Horton gave to Jurek as Jurek was struggling at the beginning of his Appalachian Trail (AT), FKT attempt. Horton knows a few things about the AT, he set the FKT for the 2,189 mile trail in 1991, completing the route in 52 days.
Horton’s quote is very appropriate for our times. We are living in very tough circumstances – we have been social distancing for weeks and we are scared and troubled. It is clear that things are going to get worse, more people will get sick and we don’t have an end in sight for social distancing. It won’t always get worse though. It’s uncertain when our situation will improve but we can take comfort in knowing that it will eventually get better.
One of the greatest lessons that I’ve learned from ultra running is that pain and discomfort are temporary. It might take me 24 hours or more to complete an ultra-marathon but what is 24 hours in the overall context of my life? Even if I suffer the whole race, it’s guaranteed that I’ll feel good when I cross the finish line. Similar to our current circumstances – we might need to social distance for 2 – 4 months but what is 2 – 4 months over the span of my lifetime? In most cases, my situation will improve if I keep a decent mindset and move forward. I say decent mindset because sometimes it’s hard to have a positive mindset. I can have a rough patch in an ultra-marathon but I’ll get through it by continuously putting one foot in front of the other. The same thing goes for life. Nothing will be accomplished or improved by taking a negative mindset and giving up. This doesn’t mean huge steps all at once. I trust that my situation will improve by taking continuous, small steps everyday.
David Horton knows a lot about suffering. In addition to his AT, FKT, Horton also held the FKT for the Pacific Crest Trail, completing the 2,655 route in 66 days. When an authority on suffering like Horton tells us that it never always gets worse, we should listen. It will take time, but we will get past Covid-19. Keep moving forward and have faith that our situation will improve.
