There Is A Price To Be Paid

THERE IS A PRICE TO BE PAID

Most everything you attain in life will cost you something. Very few things are truly free. Sometimes you have to pay up immediately. Other times there may be an installment plan; but that only delays and increases the price. So pay now or pay later; BUT YOU WILL PAY. That is just one of the facts of life. This principle applies in a number of ways to running. Lot's review some of them together.
1. THERE IS A FINANCIAL PRICE. Thankfully running is one of the most inexpensive sports in which you can possibly participate. You can run in anything. You can run almost anywhere. Even in races you can save money by early registration and sometimes by avoiding buying a shirt. You might be able to get a comp entry by volunteer work. While there is almost no limit to what you could spend on running clothes if you follow the latest trends, this is not essential to being a runner.
Your largest necessary expense will be shoes. Some of us have never gotten over the shock of learning that a good pair of running shoes would cost us more than dress shoes. Even good socks and insole are expensive; but they may pay real dividends. If you are smart you will not skimp on things for your feet, otherwise you may pay an even larger price in injuries down the line. It also helps to get your shoes where you can get good advice from those personally acquainted with running. There is nothing wrong in watching the sales; but be sure to establish quality before price or looks. The "bells and whistles" of the latest high priced model may not help you a bit in your race time; but a quality shoe, suited to your needs, can be almost priceless. If you are going to run without serious injury, you must be willing to pay this price.
2. THERE IS THE PRICE OF TRAINING. A champion heavyweight boxer made the pointed statement: "No one else can do your running for you". He may have made millions on a fight; but he couldn't pay someone else to do a single day of his training. That's the way it is with racing. You are not going to do well without proper training. The fact is that most races are not won on race day; but in the days that precede them, in the eating, training and recovery times we have allowed ourselves.
Have you noticed that there are some who would like to win but don't want to train? They want to run hard only on race day; but invariably they wind up disappointed because they have not paid the price of training.
3. THERE IS THE PRICE OF WINNING. Winning is not easy. Not in a short sprint and not in a distance run. Winning usually involves going all-out and giving it your very best. Otherwise it may have been only by default, because your best competition didn't show up. Surprisingly, however, there are people in almost every race who could win if they were only willing to pay the price. They are better equipped than the winners; butt they simply don't want to run that hard. They would like to pick up an award; but somewhere in the race they didn't want to face the price tag of what it would take to come in first.
As you can see, running will cost you something; AND ONLY YOU CAN DETERMINE WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY. That decision will largely determine what kind of runner you are. It will help any of us to focus more on the potential rewards later (In satisfaction and self respect more than trophies), rather than the discomfort of the present. Even a price that seems high at the moment is diminished by the joy of what paying that price has brought you. This is what makes the price worthwhile.
This is NOT to suggest that any one of us can win just because we want to win, or because we buy the right kind of shoes. Neither will going on training runs guarantee a trophy. We all have our limitations. We fight our own demons; but to reach our own capabilities we must be willing to examine what that will cost, and then determine that we are willing to pay the price. This can make winners of us all. With whatever limitations you have. . facing whatever competition you must face. . may that victory be yours in your next race. It will certainly make you feel good about yourself.