Half Assed Isn't Half Bad

I know what your thinking.... "this blog entry has a stupid title, because anything I do I give 100% it's just the kind of metality I have", or maybe you weren't. It is my claim that the mantra givning 100% is pretty much a misnomer in sports. Perhaps I am being too technical (the high school math teacher that I am) but we would be foolish to give 100%. Do you give 100% to your job? Your sport? Your family? If you did, you wouldn't be reading this blog right now. When you are in a race do you really give 100%, if you did then you would pass out like the great runner Emil Zapotek was said to have happen to him in his training runs. The act of giving 100% (in my view) is related to the training as well. Juma Ikangaa (he won the 1989 NYC Marathon) gave a good quote:

"The will to win means nothing if you haven't the will to prepare".

Let's take this topic from a different approach. This week I am running in the Leona Divide 50 miler. Some people might be impressed that I am running 50 miles this Saturday. I'm not! I will get beat by many people, even "chicked" by many women. In fact many of the people running this Saturday run 100 miles in a single race. When I worked at the 95th mile at the Angeles Crest 100 mile Aide Station a man came through by the name Hans-Dieter Weisshaar not only was this man running his 5th 100 mile race in 5 weeks but he had one more to go the next week. Did I mention he was 66 years old? Me, I will have only run 50 miles, but hey dare I say it: Half Assed Isn't Half Bad. As I continue to understand my path in life, I try to realize the important things. I'm okay with mowing my lawn once every two or three weeks (except in the heavy growing season) and spend my time going for a run, traveling, reading, etc. In fact the picture comparing my neighbors lawn to my lawn is pretty half assed, not to mention the $10 camera I took it with, but you get the point.

In closing, Many years ago, someone told me about the “Persian Flaw”. The greatest rug makers in the world are Persians. The rugs are worth thousands of dollars due to the time and precision taken to create these beautiful objects. In every rug something is done that would never enter the thinking of most of us… they put a flaw somewhere, someplace into this exquisite “perfectly” stitched creation. Why would someone do such a thing? Persians believe nobody can be perfect except God. They aren’t going to pretend to be perfect. Perhaps not giving 100% isn't so bad. I hope to spend more time on this topic in the future and do a half way decent job.