The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. I have good reason to doubt it.
- I will never win a Nobel Prize for literature.
- I will never win a marathon.
- I will never climb Mount Everest.
But I am doing my best.
- If I could write better, I would.
- If I could run faster, I would.
- If I could climb higher, I would.
But it doesn't matter. Winning in life is being able to say, "I didn't quit."
On Sunday's half in Milwaukee, I will dial my body to "comfortable." I won't care one whit how many minutes it takes me to run a mile. Now that I'm a seventy-something runner, I'm coming to terms with a harsh reality -- I get slower, and the races get longer. It's effort that brings me to satisfaction. This attitude has freed me from comparison with others. I am neither superior nor inferior to anyone else. I am just me.
In his classic novel Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes told the story of a man who heroically faced life. People regarded him as an aging, infirm old man on a decrepit old horse, tilting at windmills. But time after time he performed valiant deeds.
There is no question that getting up at 4:00 am to run a race is also a form of heroism. As I wait at the starting line, I know it is my heart that led me here. I am about to run a race against myself. I run against the absolute best I can do. Runners surging past me when my energy flags hold no terror for me. When we finish the race, we are winners and heroes all.
