The Gift

If there is one quote that is most commonly used by high school runners in their yearbooks, I would guess it is the famous quote from the James Dean of running, Steve Prefontaine. Pre used to run at the front of the pack in order to push the pace, and when asked why, he said “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”. Recently I found myself thinking about “the gift”.

When my knee injury required surgery and a two month break from running, I was extremely disappointed. I had been making progress and thought that I might qualify for Boston in the NYC Marathon. The injury made than an impossibility. Despite my best efforts to keep fit while I was recovering, I put on some weight and lost whatever speed I had. In the time since I was given the green light to start running, I slowly started adding on miles. This Sunday was my first big test. I ran my first race, a ½ marathon, which was by more than two miles, the longest distance I have run post-injury. Despite being more than nine minutes off my best time, I felt good about running well and pain free.

And yet…

A friend of mine decided to join me for the race despite not having run a step in almost three months. Without any training, he beat me by eight minutes. Without any training, never having run a ½ in his life, he just missed my PR, a PR I set with 55 miles a week of running. Although I joked about it with him afterwards, I would be lying if said that it doesn’t bother me. While I am naturally broad, even at my thinnest; he has the runners build. While I struggle to improve my speed, he was running sub-five minute miles in high school. Many would say he has “the gift”.

And yet…

I don’t know whether he will ever run a marathon, let alone qualify for Boston. It is not that he doesn’t want to; he freely admits that he just doesn’t have the level of commitment it takes, for now, at least. I, on other hand, will work as hard as it takes, to reach my goal. If I am less naturally qualified than others, than I choose to work harder to get to the finish line as quickly. Through all of this, I have started to apply this stick-to-itiveness to other areas of my life. Some people have told me that I am their inspiration for getting in shape. I have raised tens of thousands for charity and lost 100 pounds.

I will keep trying. To do any less would sacrifice the gift.

PLEASE donate in my mom’s memory to help children with cancer:
http://www.teamlifeline.org/mypage.php?myid=56579

The Gift

I am not into gifts on Chanuka. They are not what the holiday is about. I am not into chazzanim (cantors). Their singing often seems to me to be more about performance than prayer. Yet there I was in shul (synagogue) on Shabbos (Saturday) morning,the last day of Chanuka, thinking about gifts as the chazzan led the prayers with beautiful tunes and a gentle voice.

I found myself thinking of a quote from running’s James Dean, Steve Prefontaine. Pre as he was known said that “to give anything less than your best was to waste the gift”. Was he correct? Was giving your best enough, or perhaps do we owe something more to the Giver of our gifts?

The man leading prayers has a soul-full voice. Not a soulful voice, but a voice that is full of soul in the truest sense. That someone with that voice would sing is to be expected. That he chooses to sing in a way designed to inspire others is not. As I stood there, listening at first, then singing along, the weariness that inevitably sets in for me towards the end of Chanuka melted away.

To give of your gifts to others is the best way to use your gift.