Cooling down on the track after a run today,I was struck by an image. Granted, I had taken my camera with me on my run in search of images for this blog posting...This image below really struck me.
What is it about this image that carried such philosophical clout?It's the pipe that runs down the length of the field, separating the stands from the field, the spectators from the participants.
Growing up, we have all played and watched high sports in places like this.
Triathlon - in a way - is just a playing field where we can participate in something wonderful, a place to find a goal and then pursue it with the passion and happiness of a dog chasing a Frisbee.
Training for triathlon affords us the opportunity to live in the present moment – breathing deeply as we swim, bike, or run - experiencing the now.
And like the numbers across the line in the photo above, in a race, we may stand at the starting line in approximately the same place when the gun goes off or when our wave starts - yet we all will end up at very different places in the finisher’s rankings. But often these rankings don’t carry the same weight as our own internal ranking system that we use when judging our performance.
Triathlon is one of the most unique and wonderful sports on earth because in order to win, we simply must finish. Each athlete and every triathlon is unique. The circumstances that we each face on the road to a race can only be truly known deep within each individual.
When we “play” triathlon, we’re on the playing field of our lives. And on this field, our perspective on our existence as human beings is enhanced by the pounding oxygen, endorphins, and nutrients flowing through our bodies.
Are you going to stand on the sidelines, or are you going to lace up your running shoes and run on to the playing field of life?
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