The other day, someone on my team said that a certain time to qualify for our conference meet was “insulting”. But really, it was me and every other runner who has ever been proud of what we do—whether it’s fast, slow, long or short—who were truly insulted by that remark.
True, I don’t have to worry about qualifying for our conference championship. True, I can run pretty fast. But there are a lot of people who would do anything to be at my ability level, just like I would do anything to race with Shalane and Kara.
My point is that running isn’t about being the best out of everyone else… It’s about being the best that you can be. That sounds corny, but it’s true. Runners will waste their talent and their minds worrying about who to beat next and how many miles they have to run to do it. It’s like this big epiphany when you realize how much you love running and devote yourself to improving at it. But when you lose sight of the pride that comes along with crossing the finish line—and I mean crossing it at all, period—you lose sight of what matters.
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