Just Do It

I have a classic Nike poster up in our hallway that features one of my favorite ads from the “Just Do It” campaign.

nikeposter

There are clubs you can’t belong to, neighborhoods you can’t live in, schools you can’t get into, but the roads are always open. Just do it.

I woke up feeling like crap on Sunday AM.  I decided not to race the Masters 30+ at Northbrook, but thought I might feel better for the Cat 4As.  Nope.  I went for an easy 3 mile run and knew I was sick. Talk about frustrating. I had the car all packed and ready to go. Plus, it was probably one of the hardest and most fun courses of the season. Seeing the photos of the race made me feel a bit like a cat trapped indoors. Why didn’t I just go race?

I still felt like garbage on Monday and knew I wasn’t 100% when I had a hard time pulling away from a guy on a folding bicycle on my way to work.  Since I was sick, I was getting pretty ornery during the day.  I finally decided to hammer a good hour at tempo on the trainer when I got home. My legs felt fine and it made me realize that we constantly are fighting that voice in our head–“Just Do It”.

It seems that we’re younger we do stuff anyways no matter the consequences, but gain more perspective as we get older.  Ten years ago I would have done the race even if I was sick.  Now, I had balanced the pros and cons and the impact getting even sicker and the effect it might have on work and the rest of my season. Gee, I must be getting old.

I still follow the “Just Do It” attitude at times, but not as much as I used to.  I think it’s become more “Just Do It If…”  Wussing out?  Maybe, but I’d prefer to “Just Do It” to the max, then “Just Do It” part of the way…

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