Member-only story
Natural Talent or Focused Determination?
What do we choose and what does it teach us?
If the end-goal is absolute greatness, then one without the other is not sufficient.
I have a story about one of my best friends, Greg.
We both ran Track & Field and Cross Country.
Over four years of high school, we probably ran around 10,000 miles together.
When we were in Cross Country season, it was easy for me to run 100-mile weeks and do high-volume speed work. I could outrun Greg. On speed days, I could outpace him.
When I first started running, I could hardly run a 12-minute mile. Within two years, I sustained several injuries, including runner’s knee and Sciatica.
By the end of my fourth year in high school, I could nearly run a 4-minute mile.
When we entered Track season, everything changed. Greg changed. The entire game changed.
Greg wasn’t a lazy person. Not by any stretch, but, for some reason, that determination didn’t exist during Cross Country season.
When Track began, the 800 meter was his event. He was untouchable. We were in a Division 1 school in the most difficult region in California.
