Precious Medals

I wish I had a picture to post, but, I don’t. Imagine, then, the legendary Frank Shorter sitting on stage next to the sensational Meb Keflezighi on the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio expo stage. Side by side. And then remember that the last man to win an Olympic medal in the marathon before Meb was Frank. Just as it was on the stage, there is NO one between them.

The occasion for this historic pairing was a Running Legends presentation at the expo. For the few hundred people who saw it it was an experience that they will never forget. For me, as the moderator, it was an experience that makes me grateful to be in the running community. I was humbled by these two great runners.

They shared stories about their running lives and about their non-running lives. By the end of the hour it was clear that not only were these two great champions and great runners, but they were also monumental human beings. I don’t think anyone walked away wondering why either of them had been so successful.

Much of what they had to say was what you’d expect. To be successful you need to be consistent in your training. Everyone who takes on the challenge of running – at any distance – has to find a way to overcome their own limitations while at the same time accepting that they HAVE limitations. And that even the best among us don’t win all the time and we have to be able to find ways to reframe our disappointments in a way that they fuel our successes.

But the most important piece of advice that I heard them give, and they both said it in different ways, is that the ONLY way to truly be successful as a runner is to LIKE to run. That may seem obvious, but, I’ve talked to hundreds of new runners who tell me that they HATE to run. I can tell you without fear of contradiction that no sane person will continue to do something they hate for very long.

The challenge for all of us, from Olympians to those in their first week of running, is to NOT do anything that makes us HATE running. We have to find that balance between challenging ourselves and rewarding ourselves. We have to find that line between accepting what’s true and wondering what’s possible.

If we can do that, if we can keep ourselves in that sweet spot between contentment and frustration we can run happy for the rest of our lives.

Waddle on,

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Competitor Magazine columnist Author, The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals.

Have a question for John? E-mail it to thepenguin@johnbingham.com.