“A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.” - Walt Disney

Friday, September 10, 2010

Excitement, Anticipation, and Expectation


I leave for Austin today after work.  The sense of anticipation for this new Longhorn football season has been building since that fateful night in The Rose Bowl last January.  The 2010 home opener is this weekend, and I am so excited I can hardly stand it - I can't wait for the guys to get out on the field so I can see for myself what they can do!

All summer we heard talk of "realistic expectations" for this year's team - speculation ping-ponged between the hopes and dreams of another road-to-the-championship-season and the reality of having a sophmore QB and a team "still working out the kinks."  There's a big difference between the two.  But I'm confident in my guys, and I expect it to be a good season.  However I'm not hoping for anything extraordinary (not that I wouldn't welcome the unexpected pleasure of something great happening!).

So what does this have to do with my running training?  I see the correlation, even if you don't.   I have these lofty dreams of flying through the half marathon in January, finishing with a spectacular time, and setting a new PR that will astonish and amaze everyone - myself included.  The chances of that actually happening?  Minimal to none - as in zip, zero, zilch.  I'll work my butt off for the next 119 days, and have fun doing it; I'll experience challenges and accomplishments along the way; I won't be winning any medals or setting any records on race day.  But I'm okay with that - the trick is to keep the dreams and the reality well-balanced, and to remember that there's always the chance of the unexpected happening to keep the dream alive!

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