You could easily call me a quitter. I quit basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, Tae kwon do, piano, theater, cross country, and golf early on as a kid. I was never on a varsity sports team, rode the bench in every sport, didn’t play an instrument for more than a couple years, and wasn’t involved in a school extracurricular activity outside of sports. Yet, running was the only activity that kept me coming back, even after I quit — many times — and finished last in 8th grade cross country races — many times. Hopefully my story will provide some running motivation.
Be aggressive, b-e aggressive
My biggest obstacle in sports? Well, there were many, including a lack of athleticism, but the first image that comes to mind is my dad/coach, urging me to “be more aggressive.” Those that know me best and acquaintances alike would never describe me as aggressive. Sensitive? Sure. Patient? Yes. Calm? You bet. For me, playing on a team as a kid was more of an obligation than a fun activity. I would get debilitating nerves before every game, even the ones I knew I wouldn’t play in. Oh yeah, and during each practice, too.
The truth is, in nearly every sport I played, I was afraid of the ball. I wanted to be as far away from the scary circular object as possible. Because when I was near the ball, I was in the spotlight. And as an anxious introvert with a touch of OCD, I’ve always hated the spotlight. I certainly didn’t have great (athletic) power, but when you’re on a team, you have a great responsibility to teammates, and with great expectations I knew I couldn’t be counted on to be great in any sport.
Pick a sport, any sport
My ineptitude was never more evident than in basketball. I went scoreless in every single game during my fourth-grade basketball season. I remember thinking that my dad (the coach) must have been so embarrassed that his son was possibly the worst “coach’s son” in the history of sports. For me, the triple threat position meant I was a threat to my own team if I tried to shoot, pass, or dribble. I also couldn’t defend worth a lick.
The first year that there were actual tryouts, I just barely made the 7th grade basketball team due to lack of competition at my small school. That season was filled with embarrassment, rejection, and ample bench-riding. No matter how much I studied, I could never quite grasp the simple offensive plays we ran. To me, the plays were like math problems I couldn’t solve; math was perennially my worst subject in school. I’m “right-brained” for sure.
In soccer, there were plenty of seasons when I never got a shot on goal despite not playing solely on defense. In the seasons when I did eventually muster a shot, it was never a tough one to save. Scoring isn’t everything, but, just as in basketball, there was nothing I was skilled at – defending, passing, and dribbling included.
In baseball, I was mercifully put in the easiest position: right field. When the ball rarely came my way, my team could count on me — to drop the flyball or make an errant throw to the infield. Strikeouts and weak grounders were a regular occurrence, but there was a silver lining: I discovered my love of sunflower seeds. Barbeque is easily the best flavor.
There’s something about running
Although I was not a fast runner in 8th grade cross country, and quit the sport after just one year, there was something about running that made me return to it casually – many things, actually. In running, there are no plays to remember, no balls to catch, throw, or pass, no dribbling or defending, no goal to score in, no one you’re directly competing against, and no one counting on you to excel, except yourself. Ironically, running is the one sport that puts the “ball” in your “court” despite having neither.
But it would be a mistake to classify running as “simple.” It’s quite the vigorous, challenging, and complex sport that demands smart training, physical and mental toughness, proper hydration and nutrition, and recovery. The best part? You can be as aggressive or passive as you want and still succeed.
Running was the one sport that let me play unconditionally. Because there’s no bench riding in running. The only “riding” is your feet striding roads or trails. And regardless of my embarrassments on cross country race day, I knew I wasn’t letting my team down. With only the top finishers impacting the results, my performance didn’t matter. I was running for myself, and that was enough.
Owning the spotlight
That same sentiment carried throughout my life during nearly 20 years of running, until I had the epiphany that there must be a greater purpose than running just for myself. So, I decided to create this website to share with the world the power of running I’ve discovered. To inspire, entertain, and delight runners of all levels and backgrounds — including those wishing to become runners.
Just as I was terrified playing sports, I was equally petrified starting this website. I still am. But, by finally committing to something — running — through the good runs and the bad, and working hard to improve as a runner, I learned to embrace fear, own the spotlight that running naturally puts you in alongside traffic, pedestrians, and other runners, and push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. What I would have easily quit in the past, I’m now committed to seeing through until the end. Don’t go calling me a quitter now.
