Journey to 90
I have a new goal (but also an old goal), and it comes with a pondering question on what it means to grow and get “stronger” (whatever that means) in community with others.
Fast or Far
I am sure many of you have heard this African Proverb:
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others."1
I have always loved this quote, and if I am being honest, it is one of the reasons I have such an affinity for the communal nature of running. I have always seen my greatest growth when I am doing things with others instead of on my own.
However, I have always yearned for that speed growth that comes from consistency in running. It is not that I am necessarily trying to go fast (see this article…I am trying to learn my lesson). Rather, I see myself growing as a natural byproduct of being part of a community.
Therefore, I wonder if combining this African Proverb with a quote famously popularized by President John F. Kennedy, "A rising tide lifts all boats,”2 would help in understanding community together?
What if we can go far and fast?
Well, maybe I am using "fast" as a relative term.
I don’t name this out of selfishness or wanting to go fast. Instead, I am always looking to get the best out of myself. It always makes me wonder how far the benefits of community can take us. There is this idea that when we have a community around us, supporting us and lifting us up, we can become “better” versions of ourselves.
A Women’s Mile for the Ages
On July 21, 2023, 15 women toed the line in the Monaco Diamond League’s Women’s Mile. Diamond League races are quite interesting as they have been set up to produce fast times at each event. They are known for world, area, and national records, and lots of personal or even season's best times. Meet organizers use a combination of pace lights3 and pacers.4
In this specific race, the lead woman seeking something phenomenal was Faith Kipyegon. She was in peak shape and looking to set the world record in the Women’s Mile.5 The race was one for the record books, not just because Kipyegon smashed the previous world record, running a 4:07.64. Kipyegon won the race by an astounding almost 7 seconds, and yet it is still considered one of the greatest women’s middle-distance races because, despite that seven-second gap, the tight-knit nature of women’s middle-distance running saw the field behind Kipyegon accomplish amazing things.
You can see that in the field there was one world record, three area records, three national records, one season's best, and 11 personal bests (well, I guess you could say 12 since Kipyegon clearly ran her fastest mile ever).
In a post-race podcast I listened to featuring Nikki Hiltz, an athlete who was in the race and set an area record and personal best, they talked about how Kipyegon definitely helped set the mood from the front. All the athletes in the race keyed off of Kipyegon, and they all used that energy to run amazing times. In the interview, Hiltz even referenced that Kennedy quote, noting that because of the state of women’s middle-distance running, they were all being led to these fast times due to the communal spirit at play
So my question still exists from the African Proverb:
Can we go both far and fast?
I think the answer is yes, but we have to do it in a way that does not sacrifice the community for personal or individual gains. When we travel together, our accomplishments become motivation for others. Our wins, no matter how big or small, become a point of both celebration and calling towards growth. We can define that growth in many different ways. It doesn’t have to be fast, but I think we can note how, especially when it comes to running, speed can be a byproduct of the consistency, encouragement, and sustainability that community offers.
New Goal(s) and What It Will Take
I have begun to have this seemingly outlandish goal that exists on two fronts. I am calling it, "Journey to 90." This “journey” encompasses a multi-layered goal, basically two goals in one phrase (I list these in no particular order):
I want to run a sub 90-minute half marathon (that is under 1:30).
I want to continue running into my 90s.
Both of these goals will take a lot of work and this all means that I cannot be solely reliant on my personal abilities (especially because we can see how self-sabotaging my body can often be). It is something that can seemingly only be accomplished when I recognize the nature of community as it exists around me.
I need to be reminded that it is all worth doing, and I even need to be reminded that while one of the goals is about going fast, ultimately that is not the point of why I do this. I can be led to awesome and amazing results just by being a part of the community around me. I am never judged by my times, but I am judged by what I put into the community around me. I get out what I put into it, and if I want to be the best version of myself, then I need to be part of that communal spirit that has built so much around me already.
The True Impact of Community
I think we often neglect the true impact community has on us.
To switch from solely running to a more self-care focus for a moment: it is community that helps us in our greatest needs (or at least that is how it is meant to work). The problem is that we often do not have the community support built around us that helps to raise that tide. There can be several reasons for this:
Our vocation can pull us away from embedded communities (like family and childhood friendships).
Sometimes we grow beyond relationships and struggle to find new ones.
Sometimes our relationships are fractured and trauma can impede our work of finding new community.
However, nothing can understate the need for community around us. Whether we are talking about the community that allows for space to practice much-needed self-care or the encouragement and support we receive from them, it is in all of this that we are able to grow and continue on this journey.
Closing Thoughts and Your Turn
Yes, I think that both going far and going fast are possible, but it is only by recognizing our ability to go far first that we are then elevated in that space of getting stronger or faster (or more likely healthier in many cases). It is because “a rising tide lifts all boats” that we recognize how much the African proverb is not a single notion idea. It is not either fast or far (an often binary decision), but a progressive, even circular ideology.
We must be willing to look at our lives over the scope of everything and see that it is in committing to the longer-term understanding of going far that we find the ability, drive, and desire that help us experience the growth that makes us the best version of ourselves possible.
Who is in your corner?
How are they supporting you in your journey?
What does personal growth look like for you?
You may not need to get fast, but there is some way that you are growing. How is the community around you helping you to reach that nature of personal growth?
Found at: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9793747-if-you-want-to-go-fast-go-alone-if-you (on July 5, 2024)
Found at: https://politicaldictionary.com/words/rising-tide-lifts-all-boats/ (on July 5, 2024)
“Pace lights” are lights on the inside of the track that are timed to lead runners at a steady pace for whatever the records are
Pacers are individuals who will run at the front and set the pace for specific periods of a race to allow runners going for records to draft and thereby conserve energy
The previous record was 4:12.33 set by Sifan Hassan at this same meet in 2019. Found at: https://worldathletics.org/records/by-progression/3638 (on July 5, 2024)