Marathoning is risky business

Last Sunday during the Scotiabank ½ marathon a 27 yr old guy collapsed and died about 200m from the finish line.  My sincerest condolences to his family.  We were there and saw the ambulance.  Turns out a gal at work; it was her husband’s second cousin.  He had run many races in the past and was in good shape.  Now that’s an extreme case of this risk, that the media and general population will gladly raise the issue that marathoning is really bad for you and nobody should run at all.  But this guy could have died shovelling show (which accounts for about 12 000 American deaths every year) or watching TV or inadvertently walking in front of a bus. 

I also had a friend entered in the full marathon on Sunday who had to pull out at the half way mark due to an injury.  And there are a few other friends that never made it to the start line due to injuries that derailed their training leading up to the race. 

There are no guarantees in life.  And I’ve always been told in training for rowing and other races that “anything can happen on race day.”  The favourites to win an event might have a bad race and lose, or the underdog might have the perfect race of their lives and win the race (I personally love when this happens).    

 

So why do we risk it all?  All the training, the dreams, the emotions, the effort, all the time, the commitment.  It could all be for naught. 

We do it for the glory of crossing the finish line.  For the accomplishment.  For the sense of victory.

Sure it’d be safer to just stay at home, tucked away in our safe environments, but what fun is that?  What kind of boring life is that?

I used to be that person.  Just bidding my time until ________ and only then would I be happy and start to live my life and enjoy it.  Until then, I wait and find useless activities to kill the time.  What a waste.

I see many people follow this trend.  “Only when I get my dream job, will I be happy.  Only when I get married I will be happy.  Only when I lose the weight and am skinny…only when I get my dream house… “

Well I got news for you folks.  You’ll be waiting a lonnng time.  And most times, that dream job, house, spouse, etc just never comes along.  How long are you going to wait for nothing to happen?  And often, if the dream job, spouse, house does happen, you’re so used to not being happy that you’re stuck inside your shell, and you’re still not satisfied.

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”  I love this quote.  To me this also speaks that “It’s about the journey, not the destination.”  Why not enjoy the journey?  If you’re always just looking forward to only the destination or finish line, it’ll be over and you’ll be back in a slump. 

I really appreciate my friend Michelle’s greenkoolaid blog about “Take a Risk, Take a Chance, Make a Change!”  It takes a boat-load of courage to come out of your shell and take a risk, but it can be oh so worth it.  Sure it’s much easier to just become part of the background white noise and maintain the status quo; but do you really want to be known as an unknown?  Do you want to look back on your life and think “that was a nice, safe time.  Nobody got hurt.”  True enough, but what did you accomplish?   

I’m often reminded of one of my fav all time quotes “Beware the turtle that makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”  This speaks volumes to me.  Ever watch a turtle?  They only move when they stick their neck out of their shell.  Only when you risk, do you make real progress.  Stay inside your shell Mr. Turtle, and you’ll go nowhere.  You may even get run over!

On Oct 23rd, I’m ready to stick my neck out and risk it all.  I look forward to taking my time and enjoying the entire marathon experience, from start to finish; not just focusing on crossing the finish line.  

So, I choose a turtle as my next running tattoo after completing my first full marathon.  For the above analogy, as well as the obvious ones:  The tortoise and the hare story, the fact that we are not fast runners by any stretch of the imagination. 

And also some other tidbits regarding the turtle symbol that I really like:

The turtle’s whole life is one of steadfastness, effort, and patience. 

The turtle takes its wisdom one day at a time - not reacting, simply accepting and moving on in its natural methods. 

The Turtle is an ancient symbol, representing Order, Creation, Endurance, Strength, Stability, and Longevity.

For the tattoo I’m thinking about some type of tribal turtle picture with 26.2 (this is the marathon distance in miles) on its back and this great scripture underneath.

Isaiah 40:31

The scripture is “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”