Inspire one another

Runner philosophers are a dime a dozen. Any fitness instructor with a blog can play himself off as a seer. Running writers get attention because people want to be inspired. Running is a universal sport we can all share. Running has great rewards and most anyone can do it.

Every year, racing heats up with the temperature. This is an Olympic year in Rio in August. That's Hot! So the philosophical question is why. Why do we race?

This months Runners World quotes German philosopher George Hegel: "one characteristic that makes mankind unique is our ability to overcome our desire for self-preservation and fight to the death over nothing more than a symbolic idea." In the Owens family, it is fear. We say "we are more afraid of losing than we are afraid of dying." Pre says "somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it." While ego, self satisfaction and self accomplishment can produce results, there is more.

It is true that everyone loves a winner and to the victor goes the spoils. But, to run truly inspired, to run outside of our capabilities and over our heads, it requires motivation toward something other than ourselves. While we may pay a high price for personal glory, we will kill ourselves for someone else.

Eric Liddel quotes "He who honors Me, I will honor." He also says "where does The Power come from? It comes from within."

Every runner inspires. Every runner expires. While we do not all win races or die trying, the root meanings of inspire/expire are breath-in/breath-out. Our breath is the fuel that fires the engine. The lungs pull it in, the heart pumps it to the muscles and the muscles fire. The maximum volume of oxygen we can inspire (VO2 max) determines how quickly we can run. The people running on our right and left shoulders inspire with us at our similar volume of oxygen use. We breath together. We inspire each other. This inspiration connects us at a higher level than other mundane non-running material world experiences.

 Spirit originates from Latin meaning "breath." An inspired runner may have a spirited race. The inspiration that lifts our spirits transcends the physical act of running. It binds our true selves to those we race. The closer we get to death racing, the greater the bind. Racing does that. It lifts our spirits and allows us to relate and connect soulfully.