A runner must run with dreams in his heart.
Emil Zatopec
****************************
I did some running in school but soon realized it was not the sport for me. Soon after each race began the pain set it and I realized it was an contest against pain, among other things. So I stopped. But I still admire watching good runners and can appreciate what they are doing to some degree.
The first famous runner of history was Pheidippides. The legend says that he ran from the battlefield where the very outnumbered Athenian army had just won the battle at Marathon against the Persians under King Darius. That story is probably not true, but the historian Herodotus wrote that Pheidippides did run 145 miles to plead with the Spartans to send help to the Athenians. At the end of the run he supposedly died from exhaustion. Not surprising. The Spartans did not send any help to the Athenians in spite of the hope Pheidippides carried in his heart. But the Athenians won the battle anyway.
Emil Zatopec, who is quoted above, was a gold medal winning runner from Czechoslovakia. One notable achievement of his was entering in to a marathon at the last minute, even though he had never run one before, and winning it.
Zatopec said of the start of his career, "I had to run, and when I got started, I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started."
Roger Bannister, now SIR Rager Bannister want to be a doctor. He started running as child, to and from school. He went on the astonish the world by running the mile in under 4 minutes, in spite of the myths spread that said it couldn't be done. Sir Roger said, "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."
The most recent history making runner is Edison Pena who with 32 other Chilean miners spend 69 days trapped under the ground. Not knowing for sure if they would ever get out alive, edison ran every day. He ran back and forth in that mine shaft. they were all eventually saved and Edison was invited to come to New York to watch the NYC Marathon. But Mr. Pena wanted to run instead so he did. Even though he had to stop for medical attention, he went back out and finished the race with ice taped around his knee. His time was 5 hours and 40 minutes.
Edison Pena said, "When I ran in the darkness, I was running for life. "I was running to show that I wasn't just waiting around. I was saying to that mine, 'I can outrun you. I'm going to run until you're just tired and bored of me.'"
We are all runners in this human race, and we must keep the dreams alive.
DB - The Vagabond
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AUTUMN QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
At what event of the past do you wish you could be present? Why?
Only 8 responses so far.
dbdacoba@aol.com
Thank you.
DB
************************
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Taking The Steps
It takes a lifetime to grow. People haven't the patience any more.
Lawrence Durrell
*********************
Anyone who has ever run a marathon knows that there is no other athletic event like it. It rquires strength, stamina, endurance and comfortable shoes. A marathon race is precisely 26 miles, 385 yards. To vigorously put one foot in front of the other for that distance without stopping is a formidable task.
At the New York City Marathon the finishers are given a light, plastic silver colored robe to wear. After the race one can see people wearing the robe around town. When you see someone with one of them you say "How did you do?" And the answer will be "7 hours, 29 minutes." "4 hours, 17 minutes." "3 hours, 36 minutes." And so on. You hardly ever see the front runners, the 2+ hours people, because they are scooped up and taken to celebration parties. It takes great skill to win a marathon race or to even come in close to the winner.
Yesterday I read an article which said that writing is like a marathon. It also takes strength, stamina, endurance and skill. There is one big difference however. The marathon runner doesn't take a break. He doesn't make another cup of coffee, answer the phone or go down for the mail. A writer has a powerful advantage that he is able to stop what he's doing and think about it.
There are some similarities to both activities. At the start of the race the runner may wish to be at the finish line and all his energies are focused on that. The starting gun of an idea may provoke the writer to begin and wish the novel or essay was finished. On the other hand when the runner crosses the finish line he knows the race is over. The writer is never quite sure. Nobody is going to ask the writer "How did you do?" And even if they did the answer is not going to be "5 hours, 47 minutes."
There are two qualities they both absolutely have in common: faith and patience. The runner has to call on reserves of strength and energy he doesn't feel he has, to trust that those reserves are there and to keep running until they appear. And when the writer gets stuck and can't seem to proceed he must ask himself what the words and phrases, the ideas are that he needs and then wait patiently for them to occur to him.
I, like most writers, will enter a word knowing it's the wrong word, just to keep writing, to keep running, knowing that the right word will occur to me eventually. And it does. Sometimes after I think I've finished the piece I get a sudden knock on my mind and there's the word I want.
And just as a marathon is not an aimless run of 26 miles with no direction but a clearly defined path from beginning to end, so writing is a precise art form where every sentence and every paragraph should be a precise equation of thoughts and ideas. (So mine aren't always, I admit it. But I'm getting better.)
Another great, silent harvest of running a marathon or writing a novel is that when doing it you learn a whole lot about yourself that you didn't know. a growing of yourself, a self discovery. And that is a grand, life changing thing.
Dana Bate
The Vagabond
******************
WEEKEND PUZZLE
Here we go.
A man is walking down the street and comes upon a store that sells coconuts. He goes in and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he gets home his wife shakes her head and wonders what she's going to do with all those coconuts.
He gets an idea and goes out and buys a bottle of rum. But on the way he passes the same store with the coconuts, goes in and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he gets home his wife has opened one of the coconuts and is ready to make a nice cocktail with the juice.
The man is so delighted that he goes out again and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. Upon returning home he finds his wife has made them some delicious rum and coconut cocktails.
He drinks one which inspires him to go to the store again and buy half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he leaves the store that time there are no coconuts left. No one else bought any coconuts. They're all kiwi or papaya freaks or something. Who knows.
Back home he and his wife have a very pleasant evening drinking their rum and coconut cocktails.
"Yoo poot thee rum in thee coconautt and than yoo dahnce cahleepso.
Questions: How many coconuts were there in the store when he went in the first time?
Goog lub.
DB
*******************
Lawrence Durrell
*********************
Anyone who has ever run a marathon knows that there is no other athletic event like it. It rquires strength, stamina, endurance and comfortable shoes. A marathon race is precisely 26 miles, 385 yards. To vigorously put one foot in front of the other for that distance without stopping is a formidable task.
At the New York City Marathon the finishers are given a light, plastic silver colored robe to wear. After the race one can see people wearing the robe around town. When you see someone with one of them you say "How did you do?" And the answer will be "7 hours, 29 minutes." "4 hours, 17 minutes." "3 hours, 36 minutes." And so on. You hardly ever see the front runners, the 2+ hours people, because they are scooped up and taken to celebration parties. It takes great skill to win a marathon race or to even come in close to the winner.
Yesterday I read an article which said that writing is like a marathon. It also takes strength, stamina, endurance and skill. There is one big difference however. The marathon runner doesn't take a break. He doesn't make another cup of coffee, answer the phone or go down for the mail. A writer has a powerful advantage that he is able to stop what he's doing and think about it.
There are some similarities to both activities. At the start of the race the runner may wish to be at the finish line and all his energies are focused on that. The starting gun of an idea may provoke the writer to begin and wish the novel or essay was finished. On the other hand when the runner crosses the finish line he knows the race is over. The writer is never quite sure. Nobody is going to ask the writer "How did you do?" And even if they did the answer is not going to be "5 hours, 47 minutes."
There are two qualities they both absolutely have in common: faith and patience. The runner has to call on reserves of strength and energy he doesn't feel he has, to trust that those reserves are there and to keep running until they appear. And when the writer gets stuck and can't seem to proceed he must ask himself what the words and phrases, the ideas are that he needs and then wait patiently for them to occur to him.
I, like most writers, will enter a word knowing it's the wrong word, just to keep writing, to keep running, knowing that the right word will occur to me eventually. And it does. Sometimes after I think I've finished the piece I get a sudden knock on my mind and there's the word I want.
And just as a marathon is not an aimless run of 26 miles with no direction but a clearly defined path from beginning to end, so writing is a precise art form where every sentence and every paragraph should be a precise equation of thoughts and ideas. (So mine aren't always, I admit it. But I'm getting better.)
Another great, silent harvest of running a marathon or writing a novel is that when doing it you learn a whole lot about yourself that you didn't know. a growing of yourself, a self discovery. And that is a grand, life changing thing.
Dana Bate
The Vagabond
******************
WEEKEND PUZZLE
Here we go.
A man is walking down the street and comes upon a store that sells coconuts. He goes in and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he gets home his wife shakes her head and wonders what she's going to do with all those coconuts.
He gets an idea and goes out and buys a bottle of rum. But on the way he passes the same store with the coconuts, goes in and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he gets home his wife has opened one of the coconuts and is ready to make a nice cocktail with the juice.
The man is so delighted that he goes out again and buys half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. Upon returning home he finds his wife has made them some delicious rum and coconut cocktails.
He drinks one which inspires him to go to the store again and buy half the coconuts in the store plus half a coconut. When he leaves the store that time there are no coconuts left. No one else bought any coconuts. They're all kiwi or papaya freaks or something. Who knows.
Back home he and his wife have a very pleasant evening drinking their rum and coconut cocktails.
"Yoo poot thee rum in thee coconautt and than yoo dahnce cahleepso.
Questions: How many coconuts were there in the store when he went in the first time?
Goog lub.
DB
*******************
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