If there’s a golden triangle of qualities of an athlete–speed, strength, and endurance–I’m certainly lacking in the first. I’m a horribly slow runner. My times in the Great Aloha Run are about 13 minutes a mile–I’m the opposite of a sprinter there.

While I don’t like running (okay, I hate running), I also know that there are strong reasons to do it. In general, when I train, the area I shine in is endurance–I can go forever, which is what you might expect from someone who has several centuries in their past. But I can’t go all that fast–and I get reminded of it often. When I was out in the mist of Waimanalo yesterday, I got passed by another guy on the bike so fast it looked like I was standing still–I was at about a 17 mph pace, so the guy might’ve been going 25.

I’m not going to be in the Tour de France anytime soon.

Interestingly, though, life itself is a marathon, not a sprint. Getting there is more important than getting there quickly–or injuring yourself along the way. Yes, speed is important, but in my estimation, it’s certainly not the most important thing. With my goals of finishing and not injuring myself, endurance is the most important thing.

That said, I see the importance of the other parts of the triangle–so goes the old adage, “Race to your strengths, train for your weaknesses.” So I’ll be out there flogging myself with intervals in the near future to try to become… not quite so slow. That part is gravy–the main dish is finishing.

1. MarkFromHawaii Says:
   July 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

   Cool blog Ryan – I gotta come here often for inspiration. Many moons ago around 1990-92, I used to run and do the GAR. I’d typically finish around 1 hr. 40 minutes. My friend’s late wife used to be a distance runner in high school. I think she still holds a few records at McKinley. Debbie unfortunately passed away a few years back. Anyway, one year she was pregnant with her 5th child but still wanted to do the GAR. She complained in the car as we were heading towards the Aloha Tower start that she had morning sickness and had only trained 2 or 3 times and ended up walking after a mile or two. I thought, YES I’ll finally beat her. WRONG! She came in like 1 hr. 10 minutes and called me up later – Mark where were you, I was looking for you at the finish. She said the competitive spirit kicked in about 1/2 a mile in the race and that blocked all the nausea out in her mind. Grrr, don’t you just hate that? 😉

2. Weight Master Says:
   July 13th, 2009 at 7:06 pm

   Weight Management and Fitness Forum 45th Edition…

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