There are many different types of victory in this life, some have good consequences others have bad consequences. I had a small personal victory this weekend, I have been back running for about a month now and even when I was running regularly I was struggling to get my average time per mile down. This is essential if I am ever to run the marathon, otherwise long after most people are sitting in their ice baths I will still be struggling along. I began gingerly, the previous run had resulted in a slight strain to a muscle but after a mile and several stretches it felt OK, I ran 3 miles each under 11 minutes, that sounds a lot, however if I could run each mile in 11 minutes I could do the marathon in 5 hours just, the next goal will be 10.5 minutes and longer distances. Victory motivates, it makes us think something is worthwhile that we can do something even though it seems difficult.
I see the kids beginning to appreciate it, the first time they rode a bike without stabilizers, crossed the monkey bars without an adult to help, rode a horse, the list seems endless.
Perhaps though victory is not always a positive thing, think about how the importance of victory to some politicians have meant pain and suffering for many in diverse nations, how it causes athletes to endanger themselves with drugs so they can be the best. Sometimes victories are physical, the person who relearns to walk after injury, the people who perform great physical feats such as crossing the channel, kayaking down the Amazon or trekking over the North Pole to raise money so that others might have the chance for a better life, those are the kind of victories to be celebrated.
I doubt any of my small personal victories will mean much to anyone outside my immediate family and friends but I am looking forward to setting myself some goals and looking forward to the challenge.
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