People.
If you ever take a moment to really consider the absurdity of our existence, it quickly becomes apparent that other people are invaluable. And if you never have taken the time to consider how crazy our existence is (In which case- go read some books and watch some documentaries, it’s some cool stuff), I’ll take you on a crash course: We live on a tiny speck of dust called “Earth”, which is orbiting a moderate-sized star at 30 km/sec. This star, which we affectionately call “the sun,” is 1.3 million times the size of Earth, orbits the center of the galaxy at 250 km/sec, and is one of the billions of stars in this galaxy alone. To take it a step further, this galaxy, which is traveling through space at 600 km/sec, is one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe. Billions of years ago, super-massive stars grew unstable, collapsed upon themselves, and exploded in supernovas that produced tremendous temperatures that fused light elements into heavier elements. These heavier elements, such as carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, were scattered across the galaxy. They were included in the formation of the next generation of planets and stars, thus ending up on our particular planet, seeding the Earth with the elements necessary for life. Then, about 4 billion years ago on this tiny, remote rock we call our home, self-replicating chemical reactions using these star-cooked elements miraculously (and thus far, it is unknown precisely how) developed into life. This life evolved into bacteria, plants, animals, and, eventually, human beings. So, fundamentally, all we are is a series highly complex chemical reactions from star dust; but the amazing thing is that you are a chemical reaction that can understand the fact that you are a chemical reaction (!!). Or to put it another way: inanimate, lifeless atoms somehow join together in a way to form people, which in turn can understand that they are composed of those inanimate, lifeless atoms. In light of how insane our existence is, the only thing that makes it bearable, relatable, and enjoyable is the fact that we get to share it with other people. As Carl Sagan said, “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” In the brief moments of clarity, when the nature of who and what we are really hits home, the conclusion any sane mind could come to is that in order to maintain sanity, we must be around other people. I could go on with these thoughts for days, but I understand that this is supposed to be a running blog, and I should move to the running.
I think I have made it sufficiently clear that people are tremendously special, and everyone has those in their life who have helped shape them into who they are. I could cite a never ending list of people that helped me become who I am today that would without a doubt have my parents at the top. However, as with every aspect of life, those who run are encouraged and shaped in their running by the people they encounter. No runner would ever have reached the level they do were it not for a nearly endless list of people who offered help, coaching, and inspiration along the way. Those who entered my life through running made and continue to make a tremendous impact in my life.
I was introduced to running by my grade school coach Tom Noel. Coach Noel was nothing short of perfect as a grade school coach- he made running fun enough for those who were new to want to stick to it, but he made it serious enough for those who had decided to pursue it. Having such an enthusiastic and genuine role model at such a young age should make it no surprise that I developed such interest in running. The next significant running influence in my running life was David Flaugher, who helped me find my true, pure love of running. David’s complete dedication to every runner he coaches is nothing short of amazing; the amount of time, effort, and care he puts in to helping runners both baffles and awes me. David continues to inspire and mentor me to this day, as does my last significant influence: Coach Medley. Coach Medley always had faith in my (and all his runners’) abilities, a vision for the future, and a deep-seated commitment to his athletes. The sheer enthusiasm and love of his athletes and the sport is vividly apparent (just watch the end of the 2012 state meet 4x800 video- if you look in the stands you can see Coach Medley in a green shirt jumping up and down with his hands in the air; that’s the kind of enthusiasm he has for the sport and, more importantly, his athletes). Within this context, is it any surprise that (not to be arrogant) I have enjoyed the relative level of success that I have? Everything about me as a runner came from these (and several others that I haven’t mentioned) people that entered my life with a genuine desire to help me develop as a runner. They didn’t ‘recruit’ me or want to be in my life because I could run such-and-such time; rather, they entered my life with the desire to help me become both a better person and a better runner. And I can say that they all succeeded.
There has been a lot of talk on the website lately about what makes certain schools more successful at running than others. While I can’t speak for everyone, I can say that the success I enjoyed stemmed from nothing less than tremendous support and influence from the people in my life. Running is culture. It is imperative that young, aspiring runners have people to help shape them and help them reach their potential, and, despite the rumors, having these influences is not a privilege certain schools alone can enjoy. A strong culture for running can develop anywhere given the right people and enough time. I happened to fall into a track that lead me from person to person who inspired me to run and be the best I could be. If you want to have success in your neck of the woods, it’s simple: be that person who inspires kids to run and love running; be the kind of person that is the influence one of your athletes will write a blog about some day.
*In other news I went out at 5 flat for 8k at Greater Louisville and was in the back 10% of the race- welcome to college.
People.
If you ever take a moment to really consider the absurdity of our existence, it quickly becomes apparent that other people are invaluable. And if you never have taken the time to consider how crazy our existence is (In which case- go read some books and watch some documentaries, it’s some cool stuff), I’ll take you on a crash course: We live on a tiny speck of dust called “Earth”, which is orbiting a moderate-sized star at 30 km/sec. This star, which we affectionately call “the sun,” is 1.3 million times the size of Earth, orbits the center of the galaxy at 250 km/sec, and is one of the billions of stars in this galaxy alone. To take it a step further, this galaxy, which is traveling through space at 600 km/sec, is one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe. Billions of years ago, super-massive stars grew unstable, collapsed upon themselves, and exploded in supernovas that produced tremendous temperatures that fused light elements into heavier elements. These heavier elements, such as carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, were scattered across the galaxy. They were included in the formation of the next generation of planets and stars, thus ending up on our particular planet, seeding the Earth with the elements necessary for life. Then, about 4 billion years ago on this tiny, remote rock we call our home, self-replicating chemical reactions using these star-cooked elements miraculously (and thus far, it is unknown precisely how) developed into life. This life evolved into bacteria, plants, animals, and, eventually, human beings. So, fundamentally, all we are is a series highly complex chemical reactions from star dust; but the amazing thing is that you are a chemical reaction that can understand the fact that you are a chemical reaction (!!). Or to put it another way: inanimate, lifeless atoms somehow join together in a way to form people, which in turn can understand that they are composed of those inanimate, lifeless atoms. In light of how insane our existence is, the only thing that makes it bearable, relatable, and enjoyable is the fact that we get to share it with other people. As Carl Sagan said, “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” In the brief moments of clarity, when the nature of who and what we are really hits home, the conclusion any sane mind could come to is that in order to maintain sanity, we must be around other people. I could go on with these thoughts for days, but I understand that this is supposed to be a running blog, and I should move to the running.
