September 28, 2019
Found another old document in my files, from March 15, 2019:
For hurdlers, falling isn’t a metaphor. It’s a reality that can happen in any race, over any hurdle, even when things are going perfectly well. The first time I fell was over the ninth hurdle in a 110m race my sophomore year of high school – my first year of running hurdles. I wasn’t expected to do much because I was so new to the event and because I hadn’t performed at a high level up to that point in the season. But there I was in the thick of things in a very competitive race that featured two good hurdlers from our rival school. One of them was way ahead of everybody, but, after a slow start, I was gradually catching up to the other one. By hurdle nine I was coming up beside him, about to pass him. But because I was so giddy about the possibility of beating him, I forgot the hurdle was there and I smacked into it with the foot of my lead leg, lost my balance, and tumbled to the ground. I did a stop-drop-and-roll move and got back up and finished the race, but ended up in last place when I could’ve gotten second.
Yes, I should’ve stayed focused on the hurdle in front of me; I shouldn’t have celebrated my success while there was still race left to run. At least I could say I went for it. I always tell my hurdlers, “Never err on the side of caution.” In other words, any mistakes you make should be mistakes of aggression, of being too aggressive. Never make the mistake of holding back, of being cautious. Agression can be managed; it can be tamed so that it is a positive attribute. Fear and caution can only slow you down. In that race my sophomore year of high school, I was young and I was new to the hurdles; I didn’t know yet that the hurdles could jump up and grab me and pull me down. From that race I learned that, yes I must stay aggressive, but I must also stay alert.
