The Metaphor My Dad Told Me to Live By

In the fall season, I run X-Country. I really enjoy running, as this is one of the few moments of the day when I am able to honor the bugs that fly around in my head. I am given the opportunity to appreciate my ideas, aspirations, and tenets.

A few weeks ago, after a meet with another school, my dad was picking me up. On the car ride home he told me I had ran well. I believed him. The sun was shining that day. The clouds seemed white enough to resemble snow and the sun was merely beginning its journey to the horizon. Then our conversation began to turn into more meaningful talk. Knowing my volatile and erratic levels of stress at different times of day, my dad began to formulate a metaphor to help me understand how he hoped I would meander through life. As a runner, I can strongly relate to this metaphor and hopefully, whether you’re a runner or not, you will discover some way to make this metaphor meaningful as well.

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Life is like a long distance run. A long, long run. Maybe 500 miles in the course of one lifetime. But you’re standing at that starting line knowing you must reach the finish line of that race. You are given nothing but your legs. Nothing but your legs and a pair of shoes. How do you conquer this challenge?

Running at my meet

Dad gave examples. Some people start off really fast and burn out [like I sometimes do in my races]. Others start out really slow, then gradually, once they warm up, begin to accelerate. Others maintain a steady pace throughout the whole 500 mile span [like when I run on my own]. Some don’t ever begin. However, my dad highlighted the importance of neglecting speed. He told me that as long as I reached the finish line, enjoyed the process and remembered what made me successful, I’ve won.

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So in reality, I need to try to approach stressful assessments with alacrity. This metaphor makes me realize that if I study too hard, it would be like attempting to sprint to the finish line when I’m only 10 miles into the 500 mile race. Maybe I’ll sprint and get ahead of a few other people running the same race. But I may also encounter a cramp or two.

I’ve got the resources and now, I’ve just got to see it. My legs and my pair of running shoes are with me all the time. I’m 10 miles into the race. I know I will encounter cramps, injuries and bruises along the way, yet I know I must reach the end of the finish line. So I don’t need to sprint. But I also shouldn’t slack off. I should run at a steady pace so that I reach that finish line.