As I was doing it, I was really not sure why. It was actually a sort of “out-of-body experience” that has taken me a few weeks to come to grips with. Maybe it was just too easy? A few extra clicks on the computer and before I could stop to ask myself if I had thought this through…it was done.
I had entered the race.
Two of them actually.
Now I know what most are thinking. Someone signed up to do a road race of some ridiculous length. A full or half marathon? Maybe a 15K or even 10K that will challenge me to push my body through miles of pain?
No…my races were a bit “different”.
Let me set the stage. I am a 46 year old man who throughout most of my life has been active in sports. As a kid, I grew up playing the “usual” baseball, basketball, or football depending on the season. I was an average athlete. I could make most teams but was never the “star”. Puberty sprouted me up to a height of 6’ 2” and provided me a large enough frame to carry enough weight to play offensive tackle through high school. I was co-ordinated enough to throw discus and put the shot during track season and was competitive in most meets I participated in. After college, a friend of mine introduced me to rugby. I immediately took to the game and played regularly until my early forties. Again, I was an average to better than average player. My size and strong back allowed me to play in the front row as a “prop”. Props are best equipped by being big and strong. If I was blessed with the ability to run well, I would have been a “flanker” or “#8”.
Speed was never a skillset that I brought to the table.
Last year, my sons Max, Sam and I participated in the inaugural “State of Michigan Games”. These are an Olympic-styled event that is open to Michigan residents of all ages. It is designed to promote healthy lifestyles, good sportsmanship, and competition. We had enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics together and I realized this would be an opportunity for us to participate in a similar event together. My boys bowled. I “turned back the clock” and threw the discus. We marched in the “parade of athletes” together waving flags. It was a great experience.
So when this year’s State of Michigan Games came around we decided to participate again. Max still wanted to bowl. Sam decided to try his hand at several track and field events. He wanted to compete in the 100M, the 200M, the Long Jump, and Shot Put. Max also wanted to throw the discus, like Dad.
So I got online and registered us all. I added “Shot Put” to the events I would participate in.
Then, “it” happened.
I registered to run the 50 M and 100M sprints.
Sprints.
Me.
Really?
I’m not sure why I wanted to do it. Since retiring from rugby, weight has continued to sneak onto my body.
I weigh 290.
Pounds. Not too proud of that fact. It is what it is though and well…it’s not an easy one to hide.
I have never seen anybody fail at a marathon. If you don’t finish, nobody will blame you. They are a long hard race. No matter how long it takes you, people take their hat off to you for your efforts.
As it sank in, I realized that I have really set myself up to fail. I know I COULD run these races. Doing so without being a COMPLETE EMBARRASMENT would be a different matter, however. That said, I have been asking my sons to push themselves lately. To take on challenges that they are not sure they can achieve. I knew that the best way to show them you need to try things you’re not sure you can do is to do so myself.
Maybe that’s why I registered?
Maybe I took too many shots to the head playing rugby?
Regardless, I run.
In contemplating this situation I began to realize that my irrational act of signing up to sprint was really a call to action to myself. I know I need to make some changes in my life. I’m pretty comfortable with who I am. I’m confident that I am a good person who brings a lot of value to my friends and family. I donate time and money to causes I care about. I try to make the world a better place.
Here's the rub: I can do better.
I believe that is the root of the issue for me. I can do better with what has been given to me. I can do more. My irrational act of signing up to do a couple of sprints has forced me to confront myself and challenged me to do better.
So becoming a “real” sprinter by the 2012 State of Michigan Games is my quest. Running 100 meters may not sound like much of a quest but it’s not the distance that’s important. It’s the fact that I am going to have to learn to maximize my potential. I will have to master discipline, effort, and focus. I will be changing my body. I will be changing my mind. I will have to embrace “perseverance” in a manner that I have never needed to before.
I am “the tortoise off on a wild hare….”
So I have my quest. What is yours?
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