Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Banquet
Our banquet just finished and it was wonderful, as always. I have to say that this has been a long and wonderful journey. I need to thank all of those who have positively advanced the lives of this team. Without your efforts we would have never achieved the success we did. Thank you to my coaches, their families, the runners, their parents, and the Saegertown community for making this a very special season. I feel very blessed to be part of this. I believe that!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The End is Just the Beginning
The finish of the season is a great paradox to me. We work and work to get to the final race, the final day, and for some of us that is States. Then, in a blink the season is over. Good or bad on this one day, it's still all over.
Then I reflect on the time we've spent together. That first day in August and this last day in November is always a very short time. A blink. And it's over. But the beauty of things like this--things that repeat and have a journey involved--is that it is never really over. We start again and continue running and before we know it, August rolls around and we're ready.
I like that about this sport. We get a chance to move forward. Like running, this sport (and much of life) is about "what next." We must always keep in mind that the end result of the season, the last race, whether we've won or not, is not the point to this sport, just like it's not the point in life to just wait for that last day--the end of it all. It's the process, the journey, the getting there, that really means everything. We must believe that we are a better runner, a better person, a better citizen, because of the effort and the work, not the reward at the end.
Nate was behind the winner by thirty seconds. That's all. If it were me, I'd never allow thirty seconds to determine whether or not it all mattered. Whether or not it was a successful season. For sure, we all desire to do our best and for some of us that means to win. But success is not measured by first place finishes. It is measured by your attitude and effort and by the fact that when it's all said and done, I can look back and say, "My life is better because I ran this season," or even better yet, "I am a winner and thirty seconds is not going to define my season." I believe that.
Then I reflect on the time we've spent together. That first day in August and this last day in November is always a very short time. A blink. And it's over. But the beauty of things like this--things that repeat and have a journey involved--is that it is never really over. We start again and continue running and before we know it, August rolls around and we're ready.
I like that about this sport. We get a chance to move forward. Like running, this sport (and much of life) is about "what next." We must always keep in mind that the end result of the season, the last race, whether we've won or not, is not the point to this sport, just like it's not the point in life to just wait for that last day--the end of it all. It's the process, the journey, the getting there, that really means everything. We must believe that we are a better runner, a better person, a better citizen, because of the effort and the work, not the reward at the end.
Nate was behind the winner by thirty seconds. That's all. If it were me, I'd never allow thirty seconds to determine whether or not it all mattered. Whether or not it was a successful season. For sure, we all desire to do our best and for some of us that means to win. But success is not measured by first place finishes. It is measured by your attitude and effort and by the fact that when it's all said and done, I can look back and say, "My life is better because I ran this season," or even better yet, "I am a winner and thirty seconds is not going to define my season." I believe that.
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