Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXVI

He'll go to his grave without ever knowing anything about it. I'm surely not gonna tell him. After all, I don't even know him, and besides that, I'll probably never see him again. He inspired me to write this article, but I'm having to make some assumptions about him to make it work. All he did was walk by with his wife...well, I assume that was his wife. I just happened to notice that he's a fairly small man, and the runner in me triggered the thought, "I'll bet he would make a good runner." Of course, I just naturally assumed that he's not one already. The law of averages suggests that not only does he not run, but he doesn't even have a consistent exercise program. Shame on him! I should give him a piece of my mind!

Oh, I know what he'd say if I did, "Man, I'm so out of shape, I couldn't run a half mile without getting out of breath." He would then have an argument on his hands, because I know better. Yes, I agree that right now maybe he can't, but I also know how quickly he could work up to whatever distance he would want to run. That's when I would tell him about one of my favorite books that has absolutely nothing to do with running. It's called "You Gotta Have the Want To" by Alan Oggs, a man who was born with cerebral palsy, a disease which greatly affected his mobility and his speech. Through God's help and his intense desire, he became a great husband and father, and went on to become a much sought-after speaker, teacher and author. All because he had "the want to."

It wouldn't be fair to try to compare myself with Alan Oggs, but I can say that I'm NOT a natural-born athlete, and I've completed thirteen full marathons. If I can do that, any able-bodied person on earth can do it. If you're OUT of shape, you can get IN shape...if you want to. All it takes is desire. Have you ever stopped to think that the things you genuinely want to do, you usually get it done?

I'd say all of that to the little guy that walked by with his wife. I'd let him know that if I who have to battle my weight every day, can run 26.2 miles at age sixty, then he who is two-thirds my weight and two-thirds my age, can run two-thirds my distance, if he has "the want to." Yep, that's what I'd tell him...assuming he's not already a runner.

Preston