The Courage to Start (in part), by John Bingham.

As we’ve said all along, the most difficult part of any long-distance training program isn’t finishing the race. The most difficult part of the training program is getting to the start line.  You must confront so many obstacles.  There are so many places for things to go wrong, so many times when you can give up and quit. But if you are there when the gun goes off, you are already a different person than when you took your first training run. On race morning, when you are out there standing at the starting line, surrounded by others just like you, you will know what others only imagine.  You will feel it, see it, smell it, and experience it.  You’ve earned the right to be a part of the experience. By getting to the start line, you are a long-distance athlete, you are more fit, better trained and more disciplined than 99 percent of the population that has ever lived.  Remind yourself of that when you start to obsess about your pace or finish time. When you stand at the starting line, you join the club.  When you are standing at the starting line, you earn your membership.  Millions dream of being where you are.  You are no longer a dreamer.  If you’re standing at the starting line, you’ve not only accepted the challenge, but you’ve beaten back the demons.  You’ve conquered your imagination and self-imposed limitations.  You’ve gone father, got stronger and tougher than you ever imagined. The miracle truth isn’t that you are going to finish, but that you had the courage to start. Not just the courage to start the race, but the courage to start this odyssey of training and self-discovery.  You’ve had the courage to find out whether you are who you think you are.  And if you discovered some new strength, you learned to trust it. More important, if you discovered some new weakness, you understood that it was just a matter of time and training before that weakness was gone.  The medal that you receive for finishing is symbolic of that courage and that willingness.  It becomes a powerful icon in your life.  Once they place that medal around your neck, no one can ever make you give it back.

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