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11/7/2018 On Progression not perfection "Progression not perfection” - This is the running quote and everyday mantra of a dear friend of mine, and I couldn’t agree more.
This is the recipe for kicking goals, seizing the moment and moving forward. The most successful individuals and companies have realised that "Perfection is the enemy of action”, so they choose constant progression instead. It doesn’t translate to being sloppy in what they do or lacking effort or attention. It means not hiding behind excuses and self-imposed “high regards" because ultimately: - we are never going to be perfect, we are human after all - we can always adjust things as we go and discover better ways of doing things - while those whose opinion we respect, won’t judge us for not being perfect - we will certainly regret not having tried because we were waiting for the perfect opportunity or for the fear of not being perfect In running this means taking the chance, turning up, doing the hard work in training, at home, with dignity, compassion and grit. The most successful runners I know, run almost every day, can race every other weekend. Sometimes they win and sometimes things blow up on their face.They are totally comfortable with failing, they don’t race only if things are perfect, if the sky is blue and the temperature is a perfect 15 degrees. I have a long way to go to fully embrace this attitude. I am obsessed by the details, in my training, in my races, in my work and in my life. And I can always find reasons why things are not good enough. I am sure I am not the only one. But I am slowly getting more comfortable in letting go of a utopian perfection and instead, focusing on progression.I must admit it feels good… almost like compound interest. You find yourself ahead without knowing why. This blog is an example. Sometimes I manage to say something of value, other times not so much. But I keep moving forward and that’s all that counts. 10/7/2018 Meraki Project: Sparta here I come “Meraki” is a Greek word used to describe when you do something with all your effort, with enthusiasm, with eagerness, with complete love that you leave something of yourself in it. Your essence is forever connected to whatever it is you have done. The Spartathlon is one of the most difficult and satisfying ultra-distance races in the world because of its unique history and background, race profile, running conditions and strict cut-off times. The 240km course to be completed in less than 36 hours, includes a 1,000 meters climb of a mountain when 150km into the race. The field is capped to 390 runners from all around the world, who meet the rigid qualifying criteria. The Spartathlon traces the footsteps of Pheidippides, the legendary Athenian hemerodrome (“professional-running courier” or “day-long runner”) sent from Athens to Sparta in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. Pheidippides, delivered his message to Sparta’s official only to turn around and run all the way back to Athen with their response. It was about more than running. Had Philippides failed to deliver his messages, Greece would have fallen in the hands of Persians and history would be very different. On September 28th, I will be one of the four Australians taking part to the 2018 Spartathlon. My goal is to complete the race in the fastest time recorded by an Australian, currently set to 28h:12mins. The #Merakiproject covers my journey, from training to race where I will leave everything on the course, km in and km out, to have a chance of kissing the foot of king Leonida in Sparta. |
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