It’s worth doing even if it’s not perfect. And I think sometimes we’re too quick to give up on the things that we love and the things that make us feel alive when something is going wrong in our lives, but I just feel really strongly that we have to hold on to them. - Gabriele Gruenwald
I read that quote Friday morning while reading, The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald, and I immediately underlined it with my trusty black Bic ballpoint pen that I keep “at the ready” for capturing nuggets of gold like this quote while reading any book. For those of you who don't know Gabe Gruenwald’s story, she was a pro middle distance runner who valiantly battled a rare cancer that she sadly succumbed to in June, 2019. She is a legend in the running community, and an inspiration for many beyond the scope of competitive sports.
This particular quote hit the bullseye for how I feel about triathlon and writing.
Logging loping, but lovely laps in Claremont, CA.
I completed a track workout last Sunday that felt dismal right from the start. About two laps into the warm-up I realized that I couldn't click over the gears in order to reach the paces the workout requested. I was annoyed, but not surprised. I knew that a handful of hard efforts earlier in the week, coupled with heart-crushing grief from the decision to put our fourteen year old yellow Lab, Guinness, down that morning would only allow me to tap vs. crash through the wall of an all-out effort. That is now how I wanted the run to go, but ultimately I was grateful that my body knew I needed space and grace to absorb emotional stress that morning by staving off the physical stress created from a speedy and successful workout.
I still enjoyed the run, though. Any run, terrific or terrible, makes me feel alive, and is always worth the time and effort.
In a similar vein, I know that pushing my passion chips forward 1,000% in my writing practice will not produce perfect prose every time out. SPOILER Alert, some of these blog posts will be clunkers. Still, every tap of the keys, either terrific or terrible, makes me feel alive, and just like Gabe said, are worth holding on to.
The song and video choice today is one of my favorite’s from Coldplay’s catalogue, Sky Full Of Stars.