In an ultramarathon, most people trip or fall at least once. You brush off, limp a little, take a breath, and finish with pride in the blood, sweat, and tears left behind you. Sometimes, however, you fall and can’t get back up…you miss the cut off…you don’t finish the race. Until it happens, finishing is not the question. Instead, you focus on how you finish.
One time is all it takes to make every future finish line potentially unattainable. You suddenly find yourself saying “maybe all this pain really isn’t worth it…” and “well, this clearly just isn’t my day…” Once the door is opened, it can never be completely closed, no matter how many successful finishes follow.
I guess the best we can hope to do is learn from each race, forgive ourselves, and shout “I STILL BELIEVE!” loud enough to drown out all of the other voices. They may not go away, but maybe we don’t have to listen.
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