Do not Compare yourself to others....

“Do not Compare yourself to other People as their Standards may be too low.” ~ Congo

Last Friday I attended, as a spectator, the Nebraska State cross country meet at the Kearney Country Club. I have attended numerous meets on this course, including the 1994 NCAA Div II Regional and National Championships.

Frequently, coaches and fans encourage runners to get out fast with the leaders. For those who are physically able, starting fast is a fine strategy. Many have blamed poor finishes on “going out too slow.” They believe that a slower start condemns runners to remain in the back of the pack, unable to pass a significant amount of runners enabling a march to the front; resulting in a poor finish. However, believing a slow start nearly guarantees a slow finish is a fallacy. How do we define “fast” and “slow” starts? These terms are relative to the competition and a runner’s level of fitness.

Both of our state championship runs at Manhattan, on a two-mile course, our teams began near the back. A quarter of a mile into the 1983 championship race, our seven runners were among the last ten in the race. Two of our runners finished fourth and ninth, we won the team championship. Yet my friends on Friday said this strategy is unsuccessful. A year later, we once again started the race slow compared to the competition. We won the championship again with our first five runners scoring 54 points.

Congo taught us to continually drive forward, not comparing ourselves to other people. Many runners are content to run with those around them. Consequently, if they start slowly they just run with the slow runners.

This is similar to life, we are free to move up, and we are encouraged to run as hard as we can in the middle of life’s race, instead of just hanging with those preferring a slower pace. We should give everything we have as we near the finish. The elderly may not lack the physical stamina they once possessed, however they should share their wisdom with the younger generations with all of the energy they possess.

In racing and life, your start does not determine your finish. Trust in our Lord, he will enable you to increase your pace throughout life.