Definitely not related to Christian faith but I like to jot this down for my own sake.
As I look back over the races I done, triathlons, marathons, road races, some of them I did it for fun and some I do to win (or at least a personal best).
Racing for fun is simple, you go in and have fun. For me, I don’t care too much about my time. Usually this takes in a form of helping another friend to finish.
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| 2006 Half Ironman Peterborough – this is my first Half Ironman and my goal is to have fun and get to the finish line. |
Racing to win is a different ball game. It is very straight forward and simple. It is simply to get to the finish line as fast as possible. In a way, it is very free because there is no doubts, no worry, no distractions. No what should I do for the weekend? No concerns of what other think. No self doubt if I am good enough. It is simply getting my butt to the finish line. It usually hurt a lot. When the gun starts, you go. You don’t stop until you finish. Done.
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| 2009 World Transplant Games. I am leading on a 5 km race. I won first place by a mere few seconds. |
Racing for fun, is ok if I hold back. Racing to win, there’s no holding back. Either go all in or don’t go at all.
It is not a matter asking if you are going to go all out or not. It is simply a matter of when you go all out.
The mentality is very different. It is essential that we don’t confuse or mix them. If I am racing to win and I question myself to go all out or not, in mind, I already lost.
In a way, the mindset to win on a race is much like our Christian walk. It is also all in or not. There’s no halves or quarters. No buts, no ifs. When it comes to drawing close to the Lord, He will put us with circumstances where we need to surrender all. Any selfish motives, pride, desire, and ego, are quickly expose.
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| 2009 World Transplant Games in Australia. The beginning of the 5 km bike time trial. Quite an awkward picture :O). |
