Race Number 34“In running, it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.” Glenn Cunningham
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. The body will always give up.” General George Patton
“What counts in battle is what you do once the pain sets in.” John Short
Interesting thoughts. Three warriors, with three similar perspectives. I DO get it (I am not as dumb as I look!). I have experienced Mind over Body, albeit in a game of chess or shuffleboard. Nevertheless, my compulsion as a member of genus Americanus is to focus automatically, and unthinkingly, on the shortest distant between two points, not the battle from within. So… today’s race was a painful battle and I am ashamed to say, I think the body ruled my mind, …..again. All I could think of was trying to find ways to eliminate a couple of extra steps so that I could relieve myself of the pain I was experiencing. The pain was really bad today! According to the three authors above, I misplaced my energies and the result was probably affecting my performance.
I struggled to regain my composure, realizing that I was making General Patton and all the Greek gods quite angry. I found my “second wind” (which is really just a call from the mind to the body to start converting stored fat, which I have plenty of, into an energy source) and then a curious Old Testament feeling came upon me: a sense of retribution, a sense of awful judgment and awful punishment. Well……. it was not all that dramatic, but I did find myself running harder and a little more effectively towards the finish line to escape desolation by the hand of God Almighty. I finished the race with one of my slowest times ever, 2:33:33. I may be overdoing it on my newly repaired back, though. It is quite sore right now.
In retrospect, the race went quickly. On the other hand, I am quite sure the warriors above would note that war battles pass quickly. I am not sure I would have made them proud. Yet, I did learn a bit more about trying to master the mind (albeit my mind is the size of a pea...can you really call that “mastering?”). I guess I will find out more as I prepare for race number 35 in May, the dreaded Colfax Half Marathon in Denver.
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Chuck Smith, Sr. : recovering from a mild stroke. Miles 4-6: Cheryl Atencio, Board President at JA as she faces hip replacement surgery on May 14th. Miles 7-9: Shelby Griffin, two years old, suffering from seizures. Miles 10 & 11: Jake Talley, fifth grade student at JA, battling MS. Miles 12 &13: Jan Huffman, Food Service Manager at JA…Jan is retiring from JA after sixteen years of service. She has been the Ultimate Lunch Lady (emphasis on ULTIMATE and LADY)!
In retrospect, the race went quickly. On the other hand, I am quite sure the warriors above would note that war battles pass quickly. I am not sure I would have made them proud. Yet, I did learn a bit more about trying to master the mind (albeit my mind is the size of a pea...can you really call that “mastering?”). I guess I will find out more as I prepare for race number 35 in May, the dreaded Colfax Half Marathon in Denver.
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Chuck Smith, Sr. : recovering from a mild stroke. Miles 4-6: Cheryl Atencio, Board President at JA as she faces hip replacement surgery on May 14th. Miles 7-9: Shelby Griffin, two years old, suffering from seizures. Miles 10 & 11: Jake Talley, fifth grade student at JA, battling MS. Miles 12 &13: Jan Huffman, Food Service Manager at JA…Jan is retiring from JA after sixteen years of service. She has been the Ultimate Lunch Lady (emphasis on ULTIMATE and LADY)!
