The genuine marathoner is a rare breed indeed: half athlete and half poet; part rock-bottom pragmatist and part sky-high idealist; completely, even defiantly individual and yet irrevocably joined to a select group almost tribal in its shared rituals and aspiritions. -Joel Homer

Thursday, February 2, 2012

On Fire

"You give me miles and miles of mountains and I’ll ask for the sea..."

     Rarely are we ever satisfied with our performances. Even after our best races we might be content for a moment, but it is in our nature to constantly over-analyze and re-evaluate, finding seconds on the course, flaws in our race plans, what ifs… should haves… and could haves.  Are we ever satisfied? There is a competitive mentality that keeps us coming back for more, day after day, race after race, and year after year…  so at the end of the day only a small select few might actually walk away content. If we will all eventually walk away disappointed, then what is the point? Why do we step out the door each day?  If only one person can be the best, are the rest of us essentially failing?  I certainly don’t have the answers, but today I’ll walk out the door with my Brooks tied tight and hopes of setting the world on fire firmly en grained in my mind. Odds are I’ll never accomplish my overarching goal of dominating a career field that has forever been specific to only men, but maybe…just maybe, I will. With that in mind I’ll take off down the road and put in the days work.  If we don’t try we’ll never know. At least I can find out how good I can be.  I can have an answer at the end of the days, and have a hell of a good time with the process.