From running log:
Ran about 3 miles at 7:30 pace around the high school, some trails, wearing New Balance 305s. Beautiful sunset was high point of run. Relaxed. Race tomorrow morning. Everything felt fine. Hope to win tomorrow. Maybe.
30 years later:
I chuckle when I look back and read things that I wrote like "Hope to win tomorrow". Ah, yes, the hubris of youth. Winning a race, any race at any age, is never a given. After all, the vast majority of runners never even get close to winning races. Over the years I've moved so far away from basing the success of my races on whether or not I win, that is, on comparing myself to those around me. For a long time I've seen running a race as something more akin to a personal challenge. After all, my placing among others is something completely out of my control, because it depends on who shows up and how they run on that day. The only thing that I have some control over is how I perform on that day, how I deal with my personal demons, how I overcome the inevitable adversity that presents itself during every race.
Look at it this way: If I run a small race against weak competition and manage to win, the feeling afterward is mixed, unsatisfied. But if I run a race against strong competition, come into the finish line in 193rd place (or worse), but have a really strong race both physically and mentally, I'll feel truly satisfied afterward. In other words, it's the actual accomplishment of the run, of me against me, not whether or not I manage to walk home with a trophy or medal afterward.
Not so as a teenager. At that time of my life, it was about the competition. The urge was to stomp on my rivals, and to approach them with a touch of venom. I'm sure some of that attitude was simplistic adolescent thinking, some of it was the effect of testosterone, and some of it was peer pressure. In retrospect, I believe I might have run even better in high school if I'd not wasted so much energy on feeling aggressive and spiteful toward the runners from other schools; instead, I should have seen them as friendly rivals who would help me get the most out of myself on any given day. By having strong competition nearby, I would be pushed toward even better personal performances.
Of course, all of that is said from the vantage point of hindsight. Now I'm too old and slow to ponder winning races anymore. Sigh. As they say, youth is wasted on the young.
Well, maybe not entirely ... after all, I did write that seeing the sunset was the high point of the run.
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How many shoes does this guy have?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI know it's meant to be funny, but I also feel a need to answer that question. If you are a runner and you want to avoid injury, you must not run in the same shoes everyday, and you must not run in worn-out shoes. Even as a teenager, I understood the need to rotate shoes in order to avoid serious overuse injuries. Wearing the same shoes everyday isn't the only cause of injury, but it's a huge step in the wrong direction. Running requires almost no equipment, so don't be a cheapskate: do yourself a favor and get a few pair of shoes.
ReplyDeleteYes, Imelda Marcos had a similar comment about why she had so many shoes.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember my first track season as a sophomore and running long distance in a pair of K-Mart all purpose shoes. Not recommended. My new Saucony shoes starting my Senior year were like running on air.