Running my race

I’ve been running races since I was three. It was a one mile run and my dad ran the whole thing with me holding my hand. I remember my mom basically running the whole thing from the side lines cheering for me. Brett is running his first race (aside from elementary fun runs) on Thursday, a 5K. And he’s going to do awesome. I need to find someone to take pictures of him when he finishes because I’ll still be out finishing my race (a 10K).

I don’t win races. That’s not the point of racing to me. When I race I’m not racing against anyone else out there but myself. Regular every day runs are a way for me to unwind, relax, meditate, and make sure I’m still alive. Some runs are good and I feel great. Other runs it feels like my feet are stuck to the pavement and I’m barely moving. Races are a time when I get to push myself and see what I can do. It’s my race against me.

I recently came across this quote from Dr. George Sheehan:

It’s very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.

There are other things I do that are a chance for me to push myself and see what I can do, to fight that feeling to just quit. When I learn a new skill or even try for a graduate degree, that’s me pushing my boundaries. I don’t need to do it better than anyone else. I don’t need to do it faster than anyone else. I just need to get out there and see what I can do. I just need to run my race. :run: