So, indulge me a bit of a sappy post here.
I have a mantra that I like to use when I'm out running, particularly when the miles start getting tough. If you also have one that means something to you, I'd love to hear it.
Some of you will remember this story:
Back in 2000, there was a little boy named Gage Wayment whose father left him sleeping in a truck while the father went out scouting for deer. When he returned, Gage had freed himself from his car seat and got out of the car, presumably to go find his Dad. A few days later, a volunteer searcher and his dog found Gage under a foot of snow.
http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2002-Feature-Writing
For reasons that I still can't explain, this little boy's death haunts me. Of all the stories we hear about horrible things that happen to children, this one has stayed with me. I really don't know why.
At his funeral, his mother related that in search and rescue situations, searchers will tend to focus their efforts downhill from where a person was last seen, as most people who are lost will go downhill. I was struck by her saying that instead of doing that, her little boy had actually gone uphill. He came to a hill while wandering, and once he had climbed it, it was then that he laid down to rest.
I don't begin to compare the so called "pain" of distance running to what this little boy endured, but I've used his example to help me when I need a little bit of inspiration to finish what I started, when I need to climb my own hills. I'll repeat to myself "Rest at the Top", and it never fails to help.
As a tribute to him, I have my mantra printed on my Road ID that I wear on every run. I look at it often. I never had the pleasure of knowing this little boy, but he taught me a great lesson.
I have a mantra that I like to use when I'm out running, particularly when the miles start getting tough. If you also have one that means something to you, I'd love to hear it.
Some of you will remember this story:
Back in 2000, there was a little boy named Gage Wayment whose father left him sleeping in a truck while the father went out scouting for deer. When he returned, Gage had freed himself from his car seat and got out of the car, presumably to go find his Dad. A few days later, a volunteer searcher and his dog found Gage under a foot of snow.
http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2002-Feature-Writing
For reasons that I still can't explain, this little boy's death haunts me. Of all the stories we hear about horrible things that happen to children, this one has stayed with me. I really don't know why.
At his funeral, his mother related that in search and rescue situations, searchers will tend to focus their efforts downhill from where a person was last seen, as most people who are lost will go downhill. I was struck by her saying that instead of doing that, her little boy had actually gone uphill. He came to a hill while wandering, and once he had climbed it, it was then that he laid down to rest.
I don't begin to compare the so called "pain" of distance running to what this little boy endured, but I've used his example to help me when I need a little bit of inspiration to finish what I started, when I need to climb my own hills. I'll repeat to myself "Rest at the Top", and it never fails to help.
As a tribute to him, I have my mantra printed on my Road ID that I wear on every run. I look at it often. I never had the pleasure of knowing this little boy, but he taught me a great lesson.
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