SPIRIT

With just a little thought, however, it should be evident that physical laws parallel those of the mind and the spirit. We know that the effects of training are temporary. I cannot put fitness in the bank. If inactive, I will detrain in even less time than it took me to get in shape. And since my entire persona is influenced by my running program, I must be constantly in training. Otherwise, the sedentary life will ine orably reduce my mental and emotional well being. !herefore, I run each day to preserve the self I attained the day before. "oupled with this is the desire to secure the self yet to be. !here can be no let up. If I do not run I will eventually lose all I have gained#and my future with it.$ -George Sheehan Excerpt: Going The Distance

Why do I run? It is not really a conscience decision. Each morning, I a!e up ith the "eeling as i" there is something missing, something that I ha#e to do. $y legs itch ith that anticipatory t itch o" extending to their "ullest stride at the "astest possi%le pace. &ot e#eryone "eels li!e this, I understand. I ha#e o"ten as!ed others to go on runs ith me only to recei#e an excuse ith more holes in it than a %as!et%all net. $y coach used to say: 'Excuses are li!e (%utts)* e#eryone has one and they all stin!.+ Some people do not ant to go my pace ,though I claim I ill slo it do n-, go my distance ,despite my attempts to shorten it-, or the time is not good "or them ,shrug-. There"ore, I usually run on my o n, %ecause i" they.re going to s eat the time that they in#est into their o n ell-%eing/mental and physical/I 0ust let it go at that. Those same people ill come %ac! at me and as! 'Why do you run hen: no%ody is chasing you1you end up in the same place you started "rom1it.s no(t) "un?+ ,2nd teachers still say that there is no such thing as a stupid 3uestion.- I ans er the 3uestion as i" running explains itsel" %ecause I ne#er !no hat to say: I run %ecause I can.

'Why do I run?+ is not a 3uestion easily ans ered. It is not as easy as say: '4o to 5eep a Dummy 6usy.+ Wherein you get a 7 %y 8 index card ith the ords: How to Keep a Dummy Busy.

(Turn it Over) printed on %oth sides and see ho long the person reads the index card, searching "or enlightenment. 2s! any runner and you ill get any ans er. 2s! one hundred runners and you ill get ninety-nine di""erent ans ers. That one time that the ans ers agreed as %ecause you as!ed t o runners ho ere sitting next to each other and since the second one didn.t !no the ans er he1she simply agreed ith the ans er pre#iously gi#en. :ne day I ill not %e a%le to run. That day ill mar! the last time I race competiti#ely. I rue this day. I atch out "or this day e#eryday. ;or that day could %ecome this day at any moment o" any day. This 'Doomsday+ could %e %rought a%out %y a "ist-si<ed roc! that ould t ist or %rea! an an!le* shin splints or stress "ractures too "ar gone* or e#en "ailing grades. Though the latter is least li!ely %ecause since I !no hat

'it+ is, I can com%at it. $ore li!ely is the "act that good grades ill yield an opportunity that I cannot pass up and it ill %e a choice %et een my dream 0o% and a "uture that has no guarantees o" returns. =oo! at $ichael >ohnson. 2s a trac! and "ield icon, e#en he cannot per"orm at ill. In t o rather pu%lic instances, he pulled a hamstring in a race that he could ha#e on ' ith no hands+, so to spea!. The second time as at the ?@@@ Summer :lympics, hile de"ending his ?@@-meter dash orld record. The "irst time is orth relating in more detail. The race as %illed as 'The World.s ;astest $an+ ith the pri<e %eing the undisputed use o" that title and 9.8 million dollars. The t o competitors ere 2merican $ichael >ohnson, ,the ne ly cro ned orld record holder in the ?@@-meter dash at the 9AAB :lympics-, and Canadian Dono#an 6ailey, ,the orld record holder in the 9@@-

meter dash recei#ed also in the 9AAB :lympics-. The %asis "or the race arose o#er a dispute as to, o" course, ho as the "astest. It as clear that 6ailey could run 9@@ meters in A.DB seconds, yet >ohnson.s ?@@-meter time, a 9A.7?, hen di#ided %y ? as "aster than 6ailey.s orld record. It as al ays assumed that the orld record holder in the 9@@-meter dash as the "astest man in the orld. >ohnson changed that. International 2mateur 2thletic ;ederation, ,I22;- arranged a race to settle the score once and "or all. In order to %e "air, e#ent coordinators chose 98@ meters as the length o" the race, hal" ay %et een 9@@ and ?@@ meters. In Toronto, Canada on >une 9, 9AAE, race day came. E#eryone as glued to their tele#isions, ad#ertisers ere trying to "it 7@ second commercials into a 98 second race. When the runners ere in their %loc!s, the tension as at its highest. Commentators ere trying to speculate the outcome o" the race %ased on pre#ious races %y the t o. There goes the gunF WhatF? &:FF Who could.#e "oreseenG>ohnson pulled his hamstring, 6ailey on %y de"ault and time. >ohnson and Dono#an ne#er raced again. The Canadian ent home ith the title, and the situation as unresol#ed. 2"ter >ohnson.s in0ury, his one goal as to get %ac! to here he as, to continue running, to continue inning. $ichael >ohnson as on an eight-year inning strea! ,"rom 9ADA to 9AAE- in the H@@-meter dash, inning a total o" 8D races. $ichael >ohnson de"initely has a inner.s mentality: '&othing is more important than inning.+ That inner.s mentality is hat dri#es me on. &ot that I am a inner* %ut that I aspire to %e one. 2s I go to the starting line, hether it %e a H@@, D@@, 98@@, or 9B@@, I !no that I ha#e put in my all at e#ery practice and at e#ery session in the eight room. I !no that I ha#e eaten healthily and isely. I !no that my %ody has all the energy and ater it

needs to compete to the %est o" my a%ilities. The one thing I do not !no ,nor care a%out- is hat my competition has done. D elling on that ill psyche me out o" my mental <one o" concentration and the race ill %e lost to me %e"ore the gun has gone o"". E#en hen I lose, I gain. ;or, I learn hat not to do. I !eep going a"ter e#ery time I lose %ecause I !no I can do %etter. $aurice Green, orld record holder in the 9@@-meter dash as o" the ?@@@ :lympics, tal!ed a%out %rea!ing the WI years %e"ore he actually %ro!e it. 4e !ne he as capa%le o" running "aster than he currently had. 4e !ne it %oth in his head and in his heart. I, too, !no that I am %etter than hat I am right no . I !no a day ill come hen all the lessons that I ha#e learned the hard ay ill come together and "or that one race I ill %e teacher. So, hy do I run? I shrug my shoulders and loo! at the person as!ing the 3uestion as i" they ere the ne est person ali#e. It.s li!e as!ing me hy do I %reathe: I do it to stay ali#e* i" I didn.t run I ouldn.t %e ali#e. I ouldn.t "eel ali#e. &o matter ho much it hurts, no matter hat my stomach "eels li!e, no matter ho many times I get !ic!ed, el%o ed, pushed, and 1or ,God "or%id- stepped on. Winning is orth the pain. ;or that is hat trac! and "ield is all a%out. 2nyone can run, 0ump and thro , %ut can they do it "aster, higher, and "arther than e#eryone else?