There Is Room On The Starting Line...
For everyone.
Somebody gave you the invitation to the starting line of that first run. Who was it? Was it a friend? Maybe it was a family member or a classmate. It could have been a coach or parent volunteer. Was it a guidance counselor or a complete stranger or that neighbor down the block that invited you to the starting line of your first run or first run back. It could have been you that invited you to the starting line. Yup. You made your own little invitation with some colored markers and some stickers and because this is a party you even doused the card with some glitter. Who doesn’t appreciate a little glitter? Buzzkillers. That’s who!
My point here is that the starting line is a big deal. Amazing things happen there. Lives are changed. Bests are bettered on the other side of that line. Struggles and breakthroughs and epiphanies and breakdowns and failures and victories can be found over that line. Everyone has traveled a long distance to get to those starting lines. And everyone has different reasons for being there. But one thing they all share is a belief that crossing that starting line will give them the chance to finish whatever they are beginning as a better version of who they were before they started.
Nothing is guaranteed though. Will you finish fitter. Maybe not. Faster? Maybe not. Stronger. Maybe not. Happier? Maybe not. Less confused? Maybe not. No so sad? Maybe not. Closer to where you need to be? Maybe not. But also maybe! Maybe. Badass word. Love that word. And for everyone on that starting line maybe not… but maybe too… are damn good odds. Good enough odds to cross that line. And any chance at all is a breeding ground for hope. And there is no more fertile soil for hope than a starting line.
No one crossing a starting line is without hope. And hope is the first ingredient to building endurance. Endurance. Badass word. Looks cool, right? It’s got that E and that D and the R and that ending in ance seems to make the whole word graceful. And as strikingly beautiful endurance is to just look at it’s an even better word on the inside. I like to dig into that word endurance and spend some time with it’s inspiration… endure. You see, endure is a verb and I’m a verbs guy. And endure means to continue to exist; last.
That’s what the other side of those starting lines is - proof of existence. Your existence. Your evidence that you exist. That you have lasted. Lasted through another day, week, month, year, moment, class, exam, shift, test, disaster, breakup, let down, screw up, birthday, mistake. One stride and you are on the other side of another starting line. Another chance that maybe this is a better day, week, year, moment. On the other side of that starting line there is always an opportunity to make up, fix, get away, settle down, figure out, try again, let go, hold on, understand, take a turn, move ahead. And there is also a chance at some time alone or together. There are challenges and laughs and sights and sounds and adventure and time to think and time to not think at all… time to just run… and run… and run.
You also find courage and guts and bravery and all the other words for spirit that you might find in a thesaurus there at the starting line too. Because you need those things to cross that line. Cowards can’t cross starting lines because the other side of that line risks failure. But on the other side of that line is progression. And cowards are terrified of change and loathe the unknown. And that’s where your growth lives… out there where you’ve never been before. Cowards get left behind. That’s why they are so scared all the time… so angry. And you are no coward. How do I know that? Because you are a runner. You have places to go. You have goals to set and challenges to be met. You have starting lines to cross.
But you need to get to those lines. And some of us can’t find one when we need one. Some don’t feel that they belong on a starting line. Not good enough. Not a real runner. Don’t look like the people there. Don’t sound like the people there. Don’t know anyone there. Don’t feel like they belong. Don’t feel comfortable. A lot of people don’t believe that there is no room for them there on the starting line.
Well, if you’re reading this then you’re now a part of the invitation-making-arts & craft-crew. That’s right. Yes, you! What’s that you say? You’re not an artist? You run don’t you? Yes, you do. Then you’re an artist. Every breath you take on a run isn’t just respiration. Every breath is an inspiration… an act of creation. You are the runner and the run is your creation. Every stride is a brushstroke or key being typed or note being sung. What you want, need and get on the other side of that starting line is decided by you. And if you allow your running to be about more than just running than your running can help you with more than just running.
That’s why you are the invitation to the starting line. You are the one person that can be the excuse for someone to run instead of not. You can be the reason someone has a reason to do that first run, first run back, first run since the divorce, first run since the surgery, first run since what happened happened. You can be the invitation to their comeback run. You can be the hand extended out, the hand to hold onto, the hand that passes the baton. You just need to make the invitation.
I know what many of you may be thinking. Coach is getting overly sentimental. I am. And I don’t apologize for it. I don’t know much but I do know some things. And some of those things I know are that we all need each other more and not less. I know that we need to be a part of and not apart from each other’s lives. I know that a run won’t change everything. But I also know a run can change some things. And I know a run won’t fix the world. But I know that runners can help fix it. If we try. If we try together.
Where to do begin though? That’s the question. I know the answer to that too.
You begin at the starting line. I’ll meet you there.
Bring everybody. We got the room.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST
We got new epsiodes! Enjoy!
Kelvin Kiptum (1999-2024)
I only got to meet Kelvin Kiptum once. He was very kind & had a quiet & joyful energy that seemed to brighten up everyone that came near him. I got to introduce him to a big crowd at running specialty store The Loop Running Supply in Austin, TX. He was so happy to be with us. We were so happy to be around such greatness. I’m thinking of Kelvin’s family & friends. I’m thinking of my family & friends too. Never miss a chance to be kind. Never miss an opportunity to tell those you love that you love them. Rest peacefully Kelvin.
THANK YOU FOR READING…
and thank you for subscribing to the newsletter. And thank you for sharing the newsletter. Thank you for running. Thank you cheering. Thank you for inviting people to new starting lines. Thank you for supporting my writing. Thank you for being a paid subscriber if you are a paid subscriber. Thank you for thunking about becoming one. And thank you for taking care of yourself and each other. Until that next starting line…
Cheers,
Coach Bennett