Frank and Glinda

 

 Last month, I had the chance to hear a remarkable story about self-doubt, a story about finding power and inspiration from within, and it came from one of my heroes during my high school days, 1972 Olympic Marathon champion, Frank Shorter.

Rod Dixon (l) and Frank Shorter (r) at the Rock N Roll San Antonio Marathon Expo

Standing in Munich's Olympic Stadium watching the American flag rise for his victory, listening to the Star Spangled Banner, he felt lost, wondering to himself, "so now what?"


And taking the bus back to the Olympic Village, he was the last to squeeze onboard.  Standing right behind him was his college coach, and Frank told him, "I'm not sure what I'll do next.  I guess I'll have to train myself now, without a coach and a team."


And the coach replied, "Frank, you already know how to train yourself; we taught you how to do it years ago, you've been able to do it all along.  Now go do it."


And so, the most human doubts affects champions too.  And, as Glinda the Good Witch told Dorothy, "You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power to go back to Kansas."


So how many times has life turned on a dime and you're casting about for "what's next?" 


With all the traveling and long, long workdays this year, I've been in a cloud of doubt.  Have I reached the end of forward progress with fitness?  Have the months I've let weight-training lapse completely voided the gains I made in all those years of hard work?  Am I just getting old?


Even after riding 40 miles in the Marfa 100 in October, the doubts remained.


But then, at Thanksgiving we went mountain biking in Big Bend Ranch State Park, it clicked...to train well, you need to keep it fresh, you need variety.  You need fun.


I'd been having a hard time finding the fun, I realized.  I'd been measuring myself too much, expecting diminishing returns and it had become a burden.

And then in the middle of a tumbleweed-blowing dust storm, I came up with a 5K time in Marfa's Turkey Trot that was slower than my first 5K in 2004, but was respectable, enough to win 3rd place in my age category.  And I was very happy.


So Sunday morning, I ran up the rocky trail behind Fort Davis, a 300 foot gain in a mile, and then back down again, in cold fog.  It was something I'd tried last November, and it was HARD then.  Powering up a year ago was tough; I had to stop too many times and catch my breath.  But this time it felt relatively effortless and completely joyful.  I may not be logging faster runs all the time, but I still have the ability to get stronger, to tackle new challenges, and to still have fun.  That has not gone away.  And I'd always had the power to do it.  Frank and Glinda would have been proud.

Of course, stretching expectations is not accomplished alone...thanks goes to those who inspire...to Frank, to Arthur and the Houston running gang, the young fast Marfa crowd, and of course, Monte who has been there with a push, a nudge and always encouragement.