It has happened to me quite a lot of times, and in the past few months, there have been races where I felt very disappointed with my performance. In the past, I dare not voice it out for the fear of coming across as impudent and snooty. But what the heck. I'm sure its happened to you too.
During the XRC Criterium last December 2008
Photo courtesy of Vince Corpus
I keep a log of races I join. Post-race, I jot down several things, like what went well, what went wrong, and possible points of improvement. More important than what went well, is actually what went wrong. There's just so much to learn from shortcomings and failures.Photo courtesy of Vince Corpus
Last Sunday's Condura Half-Marathon was a clear example. I set quite a hefty yet somewhat achievable goal for the race, and fell flat. I bonked with more than 5km left. No excuses. I truly lived up to my URL - Positive Split.
However, inspite of it all, I was extremely happy that by running, I was not only able to contribute to saving the whale sharks, but also support the iamninoy movement.
The shirt says it all...Photo courtesy of Rapa Lopa
Leo Babauta, author of the Zen Habits blog, beautifully narrates in this article how we should celebrate our mistakes. Disappointment can be a great motivation. For me, it's a huge kick in the arse. Looking on the brighter side, perhaps falling short is a gift.
With Hannah, who, for all intents and purposes - made her targetPhoto courtesy of Mark Parco
'The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
Its simple and its plain
Why should I complain?'
-ABBA
P.S. - For those interested in joining the iamninoy runners, register here.
12 comments:
hey man - this is your half mary! - and the course was tough - so give yourself a pat on the back - you did a great job - there will always be another race and you can apply all that you learned in this condura to that race
i promise you another condura half and you will achieve a pr!
hey i wanna join i am ninoy runner! - great idea
Ton Concepcion
"...falling short is a gift" Hmmn, I never knew there are so many of us who are gifted :-) If I may add: Falling short allows us to be human, and prepares us for the ecstasy of future triumphs. Rock on!
Ton,
Roger that! Kudos to you guys for THE BEST race to date! Good thing about firsts is instant PRs :)
Rico,
Exactly! Now its back to the drawing boards...
o sya, sya.... tama na self-pity....
it is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye
- Levy
hey javy! 1:55:35 and still "failure" sa'yo yun? you're still faster than a lot of us.
ok lang yan. "revenge" na lang ang theme mo next race. hehe!
by the way, i'll be joining powerade duathlon this sat. first du ko. sali ka ba? kitakits!
Javy - One race does not define you. Continue training and I am certain you will do well in the future.
Regards Mark.. Nice pix. Galing siguro ng Photographer (hehehehehe)
Levy,
That's not the point ;)
Ronald,
I fell short :) I won't be at the duath, I'll be on vacation in boracay taking a much needed rest from work :)
Anonymous,
Thanks - next time post your name :)
Javy,
Just as long as you gave it your all, that's good enough. There's always tomorrow.
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
- Steve Prefontaine
I think falling short in this race can only mean one thing, a new PR come next 21K, that's human nature di ba? It only spurs us to do better next time...
hi. i sent an online application through your iamninoy runners website last monday. unfortunately, i haven't received a response as of today. i really want to support the activities of iamninoy.
thanks.
eo
"... it is in failure that we begin to long for perfection..."
you did good! lets strive for better!
Hey Javy. I can honestly relate. Also did poorly in Condura and I'm still licking my wounds to this day. Hahahaha.
But, like you, found better fulfillment running for iamninoy and the kids. Thanks for joining us!!! 'til the next run...
Jamike
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