O.K., I admit it. I'm a junkie. You can catch me red-handed most any weekend, partaking in my passion of the day. Yep, I am totally hooked on my own adrenaline.
That's the surge I get on race day. I'll race you at anything--swimming, biking, running, building Legos or Lincoln Logs, dominoes, Etch-a-Sketch. It doesn't matter what the sport or game is. And it doesn't matter if you beat me 100 times in a row, because I'll be back for the 101st time. I don't care if I win or lose. It's the competitive process that intrigues me. I JUST LOVE TO COMPETE!
As I mentioned in previous articles, I was a so-so competitve swimmer, growing up and through college. I worked hard, but in retrospect I think I enjoyed training more than racing because of the pressure I placed on myself to succeed, i.e., win. The same was true through my modest career as a triathlete, ultra distance runner and cyclist. It wasn't until I began setting world records that I achieved athletic success.
In 1981 I set my first record, performing 52,003 situps in 32 hours and 17 minutes after spending almost one-thired of a year doing nothing but situps alone in my bedroom. (Not much fun as I recall). The end result was achieving what no one else had ever done before. It was my four-minute mile, Hilary on Mt. Everest, Neil Armstrong on the moon.(O.K., perhaps I'm getting a bit carried away). Like a cartoon character who realizes they're good at something, I just reapplied the formula to other activities and exercises. Soon I had done 30,000 consecutive jumping jacks, 13,013 leg lifts,3,333 squat thrusts, 1,000 situps with a 45-pound plate on my chest. The toughest thing I ever did was ride a bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a nonstop 43 hours WITHOUT EVER SITTING DOWN ON THE BICYCLE SEAT!
In all, I set records in over 30 different categories, some many times over. Somewhere along the line the Guinness Book of World Records gave me the title of the World's Most Fit Man, a pretty lofty title to try to live up to, especially for a 40-something and then a 50-something. The common theme to my events, though, was performing them alone,albeit in a public forum. It could be a TV show, shopping mall, school or the like, but it was just me -- the Steve Sokol show. I felt a lot of pressure, but I was able to come through, never once missing on a record attempt in well over 75 separate tries. Sure I'd get challenged by guys trying to knock me off, but my records in so many different categories spoke for themselves. So I kept that crazy title for way too many years.
Gradually the record setting ceased and being a good dad and husband became more important, as they should, but the competitive fire was still there. As my wife and son began to enjoy race walking and running, I came along with them, first as a support crew then as a pacer and finally as a competitor. But it was different in that I loved to race no matter what place I came in. Just the pure joy of breathing hard and trying to pass every person in front of me, not let the ones behind catch up, and milking every last ounce of speed and energy from my body was a blast. It was a family outing, a competitive outlet, and most important of all just FUN! There was no more pressure, no more sick stomach, and even a few wins for me. No more long and slow on my private stage, just quick and fast amid a cast of hundreds or even thousands.
I like competing so much that I scour websites late at night looking for races that will fit into our work, school and soccer schedules. I like trails best, but I'll run on the road or track, too. I've got bike races coming up and maybe I'll swim again. Heck, if you know of any good potato sack races in the San Jose area please let me know, because I just want to race. It's for the joy of the race that I'm there, not the pressure of trying to win. But you never know, after turning 50 a year ago I won my first trail run and won about half a dozen times since. Not age group wins,overall wins. You're not supposed to do that for the first time after you become AARP eligible! I have no false illusions that I'm that fast.I picked the right races that the fast people didn't attend, but I also think the unbridled fun and enthusiasm I now feel has given me an extra gear to go faster than ever.
But more important than any result is just the process and ritual of gearing up for, getting excited about, waking up early for, and going as hard as I can in.....THE RACE! Have fun and go fast! I hope to see you out there,even if you kick my butt,come by and say hello. I promise that I'll be friendly....till the gun goes off!
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