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Dave Griffin On Running
The Carroll County Times – Sunday, May 16, 2010
Heat and bronchitis are not friends of a distance runner, but I had to deal with both in May of 1979.
I was finishing a fantastic senior year of high school. After more than three years of striving just to place, I was finally winning races. I was determined not to let the conditions impact the end of my season.
Running the mile at the district meet, I tucked into the pack early on and then ran just off the lead. The race went by quickly, but as we began the final lap I was feeling the effort more than I’d hoped. The leader began to pull away, and I had to push hard to finish third.
Unhappy, I walked away from the track, not knowing my high school running career was over. The illness got worst in the days that followed, and the doctor encouraged me not to compete at the state meet. I wish I hadn’t listened, but then again, who doesn’t have some regrets about those days?
As graduation approached, I found myself struggling. I had everything I wanted; I was surrounded by the friends I loved and I had finally found the running success I’d been craving. What lay ahead of me was uncertain and scary. I didn’t want to move on.
Now, more than thirty years later, I’m watching my children pass through their own difficult transitions. How is it, in a world that’s constantly changing, that human struggle stays the same?
Of course, a father can only provide so much direction. They want to find their own way just like the rest of us. Even if I still remember the apprehension and the fear, theirs is unique and personal. As much as I’d like to, I can’t take it away from them.
When I was their age, dealing with change was anything but easy. Each new situation presented different challenges. A new relationship caused me to present myself in a way I thought was expected. I was confused about how all that should work.
Over time, running helped me gain clarity because I began to form myself around its principles. I chose things like personal responsibility, discipline, and loyalty as core values. And, somewhere in my journey an important secret became clear to me; what you leave behind and what you move towards are unimportant when compared to what is carried within you.
That is a valuable thing to understand. Life is a constant process of transition, even if it’s only apparent in the vivid beginnings and endings we experience. And yet, if we’ve built ourselves around stable values, we can be strong in the midst of change, because we ourselves stay the same.
I’m lucky. Each time I feel the familiar motion and effort of a run, my stability is reinforced.
I do worry about my kids, but I probably don’t have to. I see them forming and living by their own principles. So, as they continually face a changing world, they can stand reassured and true.
Dave Griffin
Dave Griffin is the Times’ running writer. His column appears every other Sunday. Reach him at dpgflyingfeet@aol.com or join the Facebook group, Flying Feet Running Programs.