Training Is a Hopeful Act

"There are two things I do immediately before I compete. I cover myself in sunscreen. If I don't look like a potato salad, then I add more sunscreen. Then I tell someone, usually my husband, what my goals are for the day. I have to state my objectives aloud so that I am accountable to them. Otherwise, when things get hard, I might settle for something less or explain my goals away. I work too hard in training to do that."

"The Concept of Hope Hope is both a natural passion and a virtue, or excellence of that passion (1). As a passion, hope is "inherently 'tensed (2).'" Its object is some future good. Aquinas describes this object as an arduous good, or something difficult but possible to obtain (3). An example in running is setting a race goal that is challenging enough to be daunting, yet feasible if we really train for it."

"Hope enables us to walk - or run - toward worthy objectives, and it makes us more resistant to despair. It "builds the capacity ... to envision a better world and act towards it (4)." Hope has special relevance for runners. It permits us to choose something hard, set our will on it, and work toward securing it. But hope is a virtue we often get wrong. Here are three reminders about a critically important virtue."

Two pre-competition rituals include thorough sunscreen application and stating daily goals aloud to create accountability and prevent rationalizing lesser outcomes. Hope functions as both a natural passion and a moral virtue directed toward a future, arduous good that is difficult but possible. Hope motivates sustained effort, guides training toward challenging yet feasible objectives, and builds resilience against despair. Hope enables deliberate choice of difficult aims, focuses the will on sustained preparation, and requires measuring progress and becoming the person capable of achieving the intended goals. Hope is distinct from mere optimism and demands disciplined action.

Read at iRunFar