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Dean Karnazes has run 226.2 miles in one stretch, so many have asked him, "Where did your obsession with running begin?" Well, Karnazes went out on his 30th birthday and got completely wasted. He then took off for a spontaneous, epic through-the-night run ... in his underwear. (For more insane-yet-inspiring anecdotes like this, check out his fascinating memoir, "Ultramarathon Man.")

From those unconventional beginnings, Karnazes began training for the infamous Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile, 24-hour race through treacherous mountain terrain. Then he entered a 199-mile relay race and completed it -- solo, as part of a one-man "Team Dean." Then he ran the 226.2 miles. For the hell of it, he ran in the ungodly heat of Death Valley, and completed a marathon to the South Pole. Oh, and then he spent 50 consecutive days running 50 marathons in 50 states, and later beat his own personal best with a 350-mile, nonstop run.

We think he might be part android, though according to Karnazes, anyone with the right determination and training can do what he does. So we asked Karnazes to tell us how to eat and pee while running, what it's like to have a long-distance hallucination, and why projectile vomiting is all part of the fun ...

Grin and bear it
The way Karnazes describes it, ultramarathon competition is sort of the Fight Club of the running world. While there may not be the same level of commercial glory as in more "traditional" events -- and there's a hell of a lot more pain. Learn to relish it. "All pain is good pain!" he says. "I'm not a masochist. If I feel like there's potential for permanent damage, I will stop. But most of the time, people use pain as an excuse to not do anything."

Beating yourself to a pulp
One might wonder, doesn't all this no-pain, no-gain philosophy lead to one seriously screwed-up body? Karnazes' answer: not really. "Muscle damage is an outcome of endurance running," he admits. "[But] it's an outcome of weightlifting to a certain degree. What happens is that your body responds and heals itself and you basically secrete all of the hormones and steroids internally to deal with the damage that was caused. Ultimately, your body grows stronger."

Hurling to glory
There's a classic recollection in Karnazes' memoir in which he describes the aftermath of one of his first extreme-distance runs. He's wrenching from muscle spasms in his car and then projectile vomiting all over the dashboard. How does the ultramarathon man suggest coping with spasms and intense puking? "Personally, I think it's all very entertaining. It's kind of a step into the unknown. When you start going beyond the edge, pushing beyond your boundaries, you start experiencing different sensations and reactions. To me, it's a time -- be it gross, be it whatever it is -- of learning."

Pull out your manhood and piss away
It's important to make one thing brutally clear -- when Karnazes is running 199 miles, or 350 miles, he's not taking breaks. He's not sleeping. He's running. Even a wardrobe change is accomplished at a brisk pace. "Typically I'm doing that by having a warmer garment held out the window [of a car] and handed to me as I slow down and shuffle along," he explains.

Eating, drinking and expelling is accomplished on the go. "You pee as you run," he says, "You pull the little guy of your shorts and waddle sideways, and try not to get any on your shoes." There's one exception. "For the proverbial Number Two, that is one time you stop. I love McDonald's. I'd never eat the food, but they have great, clean bathrooms."

Battle of the sexes
If your girlfriend gets mad that you've started spending all your time training, running hundreds of miles through the woods in your underwear, or chasing those elusive endurance hallucinations -- tell her to join you. Karnazes says that when it comes to distance-based sports, the genders are on an equal playing field. "I've heard theories: Women have higher levels of estrogen, so they're more immune to pain. Women have a higher percentage of body fat. They can tap into that for more energy. My wife's premise: 'We're more patient.' You see a lot of men charging out really hard -- they're in a gurney by mile 75. The patient, plodding woman runs right by. I've had my butt kicked by women."

Fast-forward to Buddhist enlightenment
Karnazes says he's not a hugely spiritual guy, but his description of ultramarathon running can certainly sound rapturous -- or a lot like a killer high. Once you reach a certain point in a distance run, he says you need to achieve a sort of "laser focus."

"The idea of being in the moment, being really present -- having the mental discipline not to let your mind wander," he stresses. "It's rare that we have solidarity of focus. You're bombarded by the news, ads, tweets ... everything is kind of chaotic. You really have to focus on one thing, and that is making it."

And it seems like running, in its most extreme form, is a sort of aerobic LSD: "It's very expanding, seeing what happens to your body. I've noticed ego suppression. You just kind of move down the road. Events transpire and it just kind of happens. You really don't care what happens, you're comfortable with what happens. During the normal course of a day we process information as to how it pertains to us. When an event transpires, the first thing that goes in your mind is how will this impact me? How will this impact my family?" Conversely, when you "pound yourself into submission," you're left in a more disconnected state. "You're not so caught up in yourself."

Distance tripping
"There are different degrees of hallucinations that take place. Sometimes they've even talked to me. When I ran 350 continuous miles, for the first time ever, I started viewing myself running from above. It's such a cliché, but that was the one time where I really had a true out-of-body experience."

Was he freaked out? "I started to think maybe this is what happens right before you die," he says. And laughs.