The beauty of the sport of running is that you have the freedom to race the way you want. Yes, your coach will absolutely give you a race strategy or at least pass down some piece of advice. But do you have to follow it? No! You absolutely don’t. If your coach sees you during a race and they are not pleased, what are they really going to do? Take you out and substitute in another runner? No, they can’t do that. Not in this sport. Because in this sport, nobody can run your race for you. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was the same way?
Nobody should live your life for you. Yet, in spite of this, we all need guidance for a period of time before we are ready to go out on our own. We can’t be expected to know the in’s and out’s of this complex world the moment we are born. Like all runners, we must take our first steps before we can conquer the world. All races require preparation; life is no different.
Elementary School
At some point in their training, runners realize that there is more to running than running itself. Runners must understand the importance of maintaining healthy habits such as sleep, eating well, and hydration.
Elementary school was similar in that you saw how education went beyond mastering the alphabet and earning stars for quality work. Unlike kindergarten and preschool, you actually had to put the letters together to form words and piece them together into sentences. Yes, the difficulty of school had certainly risen another level. But it was okay as you were able to look forward to the occasional game of parachute, or the gooey pizza you wolfed down during pizza parties, or even the itchy, warm Scooby-Doo pajamas you got to wear on pajama day.
Middle School
Middle school was the period you spent hours on hours trying to be someone you weren’t. At all costs, you wanted to make others think you fit the definition of cool. Being cool in middle school meant being the champion of the penis game. It meant being the best-looking one on the block. It meant being rebellious towards your parents even when they were great to you.
Middle school is also the time cross country becomes a competitive sport. Cool usually wasn’t in the vocabulary of cross-country boys. The great hurdle boys had to leap over was the sheer embarrassment of wearing short shorts. Some runners could not handle this utter humiliation as they wore knee-length compression shorts underneath. Yet, many guys bared their lusciously pale thighs anyway for the love of running. There is always a phase in life when we are uncomfortable in what we are. This was that time for many of us.
High School
At some point in their training, runners will test themselves with workouts or time trials to learn more about their fitness levels. These parts of training are the most vital steps towards preparing runners to race.
Similarly, high school was the most vital step in your preparation for life. Because here you went back to finding true self-worth. You likely gave up wearing overpriced Abercrombie fur hoodies to wear what actually fit your style. Here, school mattered once again as you realized it directly involved your future. Here, you realized being a football player wasn’t cool if you were only doing it to impress others. Yes, there were still people caught up on being the coolest one on the block, but most of them left the block.
And why was this? Because here you saw that happiness was more important than being cool, unless happiness meant being cool to you. Then in that case, congratulations to those of you who reached the peak of your life in high school. Have fun living the rest of your life in nostalgia. I’m sure your coworkers will appreciate your stories about how many girls you got with during high school, or your stories about becoming prom queen.
For those of you who realized your quality of life did not rest on being cool in high school, I lend a genuine applause. Your preparation for the real race of life is over. You can now be whoever the hell you want without being judged. And even if you are judged, stop worrying about it. It is better to be the one pursuing genuine happiness than the miserable, judgmental lowlife whose happiness comes from the misery of others.
Life goes by quickly, doesn’t it? After undergoing several learning experiences, your adulthood has finally crept upon you. You are at the starting line of a race that only ends when you literally can’t go any longer. Years of adolescence were spent preparing you for this moment, and it’s finally here.
Life’s a race. It’s time to run yours.
