Monday Moanin'
By David Smith
April 19, 2004
Greetings from Beantown,
In a few hours the way I am breathing in and out will change.
My friend Matt and I arrived in Boston on Saturday, and along with 20,000 of our closest friends, we will join in the 108th running of the Boston Marathon. This is not the first marathon for either of us, but it is the first time we approach the starting line of the most prestigious 26.2 miles in the country. Well, unless you're into NASCAR or something.
Over the last 48 hours we have been in the company of some pretty serious runners. There aren't many casual 'let's skip washing the car and go run Boston' types. It is a little inspiring to think that so many have devoted the same energy and time to getting to the starting line this morning as Matt and I have over the last several months.
In one of the many pieces of marathon junk mail we got this weekend, there was this quote: "The average person will finish the Boston Marathon in four hours. And cease to be average." If you are in a hurry, this might sound a bit cliché. If you have time to think about what you want to do this week, it might make a difference.
I think that for most people it is believed that there is no limit to what technology can do. From what we have seen developed so far, it's not hard to imagine that man will develop the science to do almost anything. Cure the common cold, go to Mars, create tiny computers or nanobots or cars that run on liquid hydrogen. All kinds of remarkable 'above average' accomplishments. Given enough time these kinds of things will come to pass.
However, people are less likely to think beyond the limits of what humans seem to be capable of physically, and in a different tangent, spiritually. The example that comes to mind is running the four minute mile, a physical limitation that at one time most thought was as unapproachable as sailing around the world in the days before Christopher Columbus.
I am not an expert on this subject, but that will not prevent me from advancing my opinion. Just saying 'I believe' doesn't make a 3-minute mile possible, however saying 'I don't believe' does make it less possible. This mental hurdle comes as the first step toward realizing our true potential, and changing what is average. This is also true of how we treat one another and how we conduct ourselves as humans.
I am guilty of thinking to myself that people will always behave the way they always have behaved. It's human nature to give in to temptations, to take shortcuts, to be greedy and so on. It's unrealistic to think people will behave otherwise.
That's why Roger Bannister stood out among runners. That's why Mother Teresa stood out among other people burdened with the same human nature as she.
In the little time I have before I go run this marathon I will say this: we are capable of being more than average. We are capable of living incredible lives. Which of course raises the average for everyone. Before long we are looking back at the days when we thought running a 3-minute mile was ludicrous. Before long our human nature is not what we use to describe weaknesses, but the beauty created in our relationships.
All of this philosophy will fade in a few hours. I will be breathing in and out differently; I will be running the Boston Marathon because first I believed I could do it.
Hope this finds you above average,
David
PS: I write this now not as an afterthought, but as the first thing I thought of. Every step I take, each time I breathe in and out, every mile I run is by the grace of God, without whose strength I would not have the courage to even believe what is possible.
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