Thanks for reading guys... and ladies. I just posted the third in the series... Ad Finem... sorry, no English yet.
Here's the start to entry one:
Welcome to the official blog of U.S. marathon runner Josh Cox.
Check back every other Wednesday for his latest entry and for more information about Cox, also please visit:
www.joshcox.com
In ‘97 Cox ran and won a 50-mile ultra, in ’99 he ran his first marathon making him the youngest Trials qualifier. The following year he clocked 2:13, which opened the door for him to train with the world’s best in Kenya. Cox has tried his hand at Reality TV, been all over magazine covers and is a fixture in the sport.
TEMET NOSCE
“If you wish it, wish it now
If you wish it, wish it loud
If you want it, say it now
If you want it, say it loud.”
- “Lifeline” by Angels & Airwaves
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.”
- Dr. Howard Thurman, Author, philosopher, preacher and civil rights leader
We’ve all seen the movie, The Matrix. Thomas “Neo” Anderson enters the Matrix to meet the Oracle, find his destiny, and figure out who he is in an attempt to touch the future. He meets a kid. The kid bends the spoon with his mind only to explain that there really is no spoon. Neo walks into the kitchen and is greeted by the Oracle:
“You know why Morpheus brought you to see me?”
“I think so,” Neo answers.
“So? What do you think? You think you’re the one?”
“I don’t know.”
She gestures to a wooden plaque over the entrance to the room, the sort of plaque your grandma would have, except that the words are in Latin:
Temet Nosce.
“You know what that means?” she asks. “It’s Latin. Means, ‘Know thyself.’”
When Adam Jacobs called and asked me if I’d be interested in blogging for the Final Sprint, I agreed. Now I just had to figure what it was I wanted to write for my first entry.
When I write, I start by writing what it is I want to convey – it’s a Stephen Covey, “begin with the end in mind,” sort of thing.
C.S. Lewis, of Chronicles of Narnia fame, once told his son, “First be sure that you know exactly what you want to say. Then be sure you have said exactly that.”
I needed to think on the former before working on the latter. Before I get to the good stuff, allow me to offer the two-peso version of my life over the past few years. In 2004 I was seventh at the Trials, in 2005 I accepted roses and grinned like a fool on Reality TV [Editors Note: Cox appeared on the 3rd season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette”], went through a very dark time, and my dad was diagnosed with cancer. Like I’ve said before, if I live a thousand years it’ll be tough to top my terrible 2005. In 2006 we laid my dad to rest; in 2007 I came back to running, qualified for my third Olympic Trials, didn’t make the Team, injured my arch, and got married. Like I said, the two-peso version.
Now back to the Oracle’s sign, that’s the key – well, that and time - that’s what I want to discuss.
I know this is a running blog and I’ve heard hosts of people talk about their work-life, home-life, school-life and athletic-life but I don’t make any distinction; to me it’s all just life. The greatest thing about running, and life, is that you can do something about yesterday today. It’s like what Jon Foreman of Switchfoot said:
“Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead,
Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken.
Don’t close your eyes; don’t close your eyes,
This is your life and today is all you got now
And today is all you’ll ever have.”1
Tomorrow is a lie; all we have is today.
http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/01/j ... g-entry-1/