Top Ten Zen #10: True Strength

Hi blog,

Well...this is it. The final post down! (Insert song here...you know the one)

Top Ten Zen

Andrew and Nick have compiled a list of Zen-like philosophies comprised firstly of a quote, an interpretation of said quote, and finally a story to drive their point home. This list can aid you in doing anything from completing a 100-mile race to surviving cancer, or obtaining any goal you set your mind to. 

Here are the previous posts for those who missed them:

1. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
2. Body follows mind
3. The faster you hurry, the slower you go
4. You are not bound by your past
5. Life is only available in the here and now
6. You are the author of every next moment
7. Your worst enemy lies within
8. Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them
9. Find joy in every little thing

Andrew's first steps after three months of being in a wheelchair

"True strength is found in the face of adversity."

The Survivor’s Take:  It is in hardship that you can get the best glimpse of how strong you truly are. And usually, you’re a lot stronger than you ever imagined.

The Runner’s Take:  See the mountain not as a something to lament about, but rather as an opportunity to prove yourself, either against yourself or your competitors.

Survivor’s Tales: When people find out what I’ve been through, the most frequent comment doled out to me is: “Wow! I could never go through what you went through! You must be so brave and/or strong (they don’t usually say “and/or”) to go through all that!” But I’m not sure that I’m any stronger or braver than anyone else if I’m being honest. Prior to my diagnosis, I would have said exactly the same thing: that I could never go through something so traumatic and difficult. However, that’s exactly what happened. Lurking somewhere within me was an unrelenting strength that refused to let me give up, that refused to let me give in. I don’t think I would have discovered it had I not been diagnosed with leukemia, and I think it’s inside us all. It can be difficult to truly know the measure of your potential until you face hardship. However, when you do find that adversity, it’s amazing what sort of strength you can discover deep within you.

Mountain Tales: I was approaching mile 90 of Ronda del Cims. I’d run out far ahead of Carles (now 4th place) and was trying to gain on 2nd place. I followed flag after flag as the course went off trail and started bushwhacking through high brush and small streams. It was 7:00am, 30 degrees outside and I was soaked! The flags taunted me as they seemed to aimlessly wander back and forth across a powerful 10-foot stream. I slipped once or twice, soaking my shoes, and resolved once again to go crashing through the thick brush. About two hours passed and a very infuriated, agitated Nick finally breached tree level and came into a clearing. I looked back at the hell that I’d just ascended. High bushes, cold streams, no trail, no footing. Adversity at its finest. Each step I took was one more step that I conquered and I reassured myself that I’d likely not come across anything worse than that for the remainder of the race.

Beautiful, but not quite the place you would want to run

Of course, just because we are sharing our own extreme examples does not mean that these philosophies are all strictly for extreme situations. We share these because they can be used by anyone in the proper situations and we invite you, dear reader, to take these helpful tips into the world to use as you see fit. Feel free to hoard them or share them with others. It is both of our hope that these do some good somewhere, and so we wish you luck in your journey of a thousand Zen-filled steps.

And that concludes Top Ten Zen! I would like to say it has been an honor for us both to be able to do this series and be able to share it with so many people. We have received very heart-warming and enthusiastic feedback from many of you and are touched that we have been able to offer help and guidance to a number of people. What started off as a mentality Nick adopted for a race turned into a comparison between styles of survival between us when it came to racing and beating cancer and then morphed into an idea for this series. I have to say, it really has been an enormous pleasure to be able to share our thoughts and experiences with you all and hope that our books have a similar effect when they come out in the near future. You are all, every one of you, fantastic.

Stay tuned to Andrew's continual progress in his recovery as well as his writings and musings at: http://survivingthecure.blogspot.com/
Keep up with Nick as he continues to race the most grueling races he can find at: http://ultrademus.blogspot.com/

Andrew Bundy

Nick Hollon

Top Ten Zen #1: A Single Step

Hi blog (and others),

For the next week and a half you will get to read a co-authored list of "Top Ten Zen" philosophies penned by myself and Nick Hollon. "What's that all about?" I hear you asking (my hearing is exceptional, watch out). Well, how about you read the thing below this and find out?

Top Ten Zen

The authors of this ten-part series are close friends who have worked together on numerous collaborations in the past, and thus decided, “Hey, what’s one more?”

The idea for this Top Ten Zen list came into being after Nick returned from a 100-mile race in the Pyrenees and told Andrew about his fantastical experience using Zen teachings and positive thoughts to help him get through his grueling race. To Nick’s surprise, Andrew proceeded to explain that many of these concepts Nick found in a book were similar to ones he used to battle both cancer and the cure. After much head scratching, the two of them produced “Top Ten Zen,” which includes Zen quotes as well as personal interpretations and stories.

They have compiled a list comprised firstly of a quote, either concocted by the authors or someone else, an interpretation of said quote, and finally a story to drive the point home. By putting their work side by side for comparison, the authors offer a preview into their books, Ultra Souls: The Tale of Mr. 3000 and Life Has No Title.

These Top Ten Zen-like philosophies can aid you in doing anything from completing a 100-mile race to surviving cancer, or obtaining any goal you set your mind to.

“Vell,” Andrew said in a suspect German accent, “It is about time ve start Zen.” Nick groaned.

One step at a time

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

The Survivor’s Take: Tackling a large problem, whether it be treatment or planning for the future, is far easier if you break it up into smaller problems and take them on one at a time.

The Runner’s Take: Break down the race into smaller segments, don’t try to take on the whole distance at once.

Survivor’s Tales: I’ve had a lot of surgeries. I mean a lot. To date, I’ve had seven major surgeries on seven different joints (one joint was done twice and two were done at the same time), plus a slightly less major one to fix a tear in my abdominal wall. I knew I was going to be in for a rough ride almost from the get go when I found out that my bones were degenerating and my joints disintegrating. The overwhelming anxiety of all the upcoming replacements acted as a crippling force for months until I trained myself not to look at the whole picture of replacing anywhere from two to eight joints, but instead just one surgery at a time. And wouldn’t you know it, shortly afterward my stress and depression began to lessen (with a bit of help) and I didn’t feel so scared about these life-changing events that would soon take place one by one until I was a cyborg of epic proportions.

Mountain Tales: Two weeks ago I participated in Ronda del Cims, Europe’s most intimidating and difficult 100-mile footrace. And 100 miles is a hell of long way to go for anyone, especially when you throw the endless rocks, tree roots and mountain passes that I encountered throughout the race. So how do you overcome that? You break it up. Never once did I think about the fact that I was running a 100 miles, no I was running to the next aid station, headed to the next climb or sometimes even just taking the next step. By making the race bite size and taking it on piece by piece, you’ll find yourself running happier and more efficiently than ever before.

Waiting for cyborg part 6 of 8

Of course, just because we are sharing our own extreme examples does not mean that these philosophies are all strictly for extreme situations. We share these because they can be used by anyone in the proper situations and we invite you (the reader) to take these helpful tips into the world to use as you see fit. It is both mine and Nick's hope that these do some good somewhere, and so we wish you luck in your journey of a thousand Zen-filled steps.

Andrew Bundy
Nick Hollon