My friend and teammate, Danny Areces, tagged me in a post about Steve Prefontaine. “Pre”, the nickname given to Prefontaine by his friends, was one of the best distance runners of all time. He once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Pre was very outspoken and those in the “track world” loved him because he pushed his body to its limits.
Pre was once quoted as saying, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” I thought about that quote because it made me wonder about how I push myself to succeed. I thought about my starts, acceleration, exercises and training. I remember telling myself that if I want to be the best, I have to train like the best and then train some more. At the same time, I understood that I have been blessed with a gift and I am thankful.
Most athletes train very hard to accomplish their goals. Athletes similar to Pre surpass most of their competition because they believe they can win and they put their bodies through strenuous trainings. Whether that is right or wrong would depend on an athlete’s assessment of his/her body and how much their body can endure.
At a meet during the first year I began running, I lost the 400m and the 200m. I was extremely upset because the kids ran by me. I walked over to my dad, who has always been my coach, to be consoled. After a brief father-son moment, I was fine. Then my dad asked me, “Are you ready to work?” I responded. “I want to win.” My dad looked at me and said “OK. Let’s go.” My training routine began with the guidance of the man who knew how to train me to perform at another level…my dad.
Pre also said, “Success is not how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.” That may be one of his best quotes. If you believe that you have done everything you can possibly do to succeed, then you are successful. The winner is not always the one that takes home the GOLD.
