Martin Rooney is the founder of Training For Warriors, an internationally recognized trainer, speaker, author and pioneer of strength and conditioning, Martin holds a Master of Health Science and Bachelor of Physical Therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science from Furman University. He is the author of 3 leadership books. You can learn more at https://trainingforwarriors.com/
The Race Called Life by Martin Rooney
So what do you think? For the first time ever, the team wins the coffee championship. He’s watching his daughter run the leg of her relay.
And that night, he couldn’t sleep. And he had to get out of bed and write this. It’s called The Race Called Life by Martin Rooney.
As a professional speaker and track coach, I often use the line, life is a marathon, not a sprint. Oh, but I’ve learned, light doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes life seems more like a marathon, long and tiring when you lean into your discipline and endurance.
But sometimes life seems more like a sprint, short bursts of energy requiring you to rely on your speed and agility. I think a better version is life is a relay race. Yes, life can be a sprint, and life can be a marathon.
But while you alternatively focus on the long run, or the short one, you can’t make either race without the help of others, pushing and pulling you forward. Without the help of others, you never reach the finish line. In the race of life, nobody runs this relay alone.
When you’re born, you’re past the baton. Whether those who ran before you were your parents or your teachers or your coaches or your relatives, you’re expected to take on and run into the unknown while building up speed towards the future while you distance yourself from the past. Your leg, during the race of life, therefore, it’s just a brief eye blink of history.
Just a brief eye blink when you’ve got the baton in your hand. Your chance to make a difference and contribute to the entire race for eternity. Your time to show off the work you’ve done and put your skills to the test is when you have the baton in your hand.
The best way to honor previous runners is to build upon what they gave you. Run a great leg of your race, and then make a smooth transition, handing the baton to the next runner. This may be the hardest part of the race, to know when your race is running, and hand off the baton.
At some point in this race, you learn, it’s not just about you. The relay can never be completed until the baton has passed.
True character is revealed as you cheer them on when they sprint away from you. Your leg of the race is now. These brief strides are how you put your mark on the world.
The worst thing to do is drop the baton, and to never even take the chance. My advice? No matter where you are in your race today, make sure you grab the baton and run like I told my athletes to.
Run like your hair is on fire.
Now Martin is all over social media, and he told me this has been posted all over.
Martin Rooney, the race called life. Thank you, Martin.
