May We Not Forget

For most,isn't the person who can be hardest on ourselves,ourself? I was talking with someone not too long ago and he was describing his past racing season and prior training.It would not be a stretch to say he had few positive things to say about how his season had gone.When speaking about his workouts, he often used the phrase, "just got them in." What he meant by this was that they were grinding,unenjoyable workouts. He said he did them because he thought they would help him race better.As he went on, I kept thinking to myself,what keeps this guy running? I believe as runners we need to always keep in mind what appealed to us about running initially.An unhealthy preoccupation with performance can be the great destroyer of one's love for running.Everything pertaining to racing and how you finish must remain in its proper perspective.As the expression goes,'at the end of the day,' isn't one of the main purposes of athletics to provide enjoyment?
Consider the following thoughts from coach/philosopher Percy Wells Cerutty:
"Our athleticism must be,and should be,adult play. If we make it work---dull,routined,scheduled,treadmill work---then we depart from the natural, the spontaneous the joyous,the exhilarating.
Those who do make it work are little likely to know the joys and pleasures that true athleticism can bring us,young or old."
May we not forget the wisdom contained in Perc's words.