Wooden's Wisdom

 

The late, great John Wooden is a person for whom I have always had a great deal of respect and admiration.  Not only is he enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (All-American at Purdue University) and a coach (multi-time National Champion UCLA Bruins), but his approach to his day-to-day was so fundamentally sound and so pragmatic that it truly fits practically every person and every life, irrespective of whether you are a world-class athlete, a middle-aged man simply trying to survive, or someone altogether different.   

Coach John Wooden - "The Pyramid of Success" 

One of Coach Wooden's oft-repeated declarations was, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."  It is one that I hold particularly dear each time I train to run in a marathon.  You might have heard that I am running this year's New York City Marathon on November 7, 2021 on behalf of Stomp the Monster, a great, New Jersey-based not-for-profit that provides support (emotional, financial, and otherwise) to cancer patients and their families.   

More than two months ago, I signed up to run in the 49th Annual Long Beach Island 18 Mile Run, which is being held this morning.  It is just what its name suggests, which is a south-to-north run on Long Beach Island from its southernmost part, Holgate, to its northernmost part, Barnegat Lighthouse.  However, this week the weather gods have opted not to smile on us in the State of Concrete Gardens.  Not only is rain in the forecast but as of Friday night the race organizers had sent an e-mail to all registered participants advising that a "Coastal Flood Advisory" had been posted for this morning and that the race-day decision whether the event would go forward was in the hands of the police and local emergency management officials.  

I have no issue whatsoever with the race organizers and their decision.  In fact, I applaud their willingness to acknowledge that this decision is best left in the hands of public safety professionals.  I especially applaud their decision to let those of us signed up to run know as early as Friday night that this morning's race may not be able to go forward. 

Armed with that timely information, I channeled my inner Peyton Manning and called an audible.  Yesterday became "long run" day and today, while I shall have any number of things on my plate to keep me busy (the joy of trial preparation is that you never seem to run out of preparations to make) before I head to Newark Airport to pick up the Missus on her return from the Rocky Mountains, I shall not drive the ninety-plus miles each way to and from Long Beach Island.  

Thanks, Coach.  

-AK