The will to prepare

It’s packing time. The Fall Classic Half Marathon is just a couple of hours away, and I don’t have a thing to wear. Okay, that’s not true; I just have to decide what. Temperatures should be in the forties, which is perfect for running, but not so great for hanging around before or after the race. Some of the fundamental questions are:

How many layers? Short sleeves or not? Compression arm sleeves or not? Hat? Gloves?
What extra stuff for before and after? And don’t even get me started about gels, water, caffeine, etc.
All of this preparation brings me to one of my favorite quotes. It’s more about training than packing, but both are forms of preparation.

The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare

The quote is a variation of a saying attributed to several coaches, including Bobby Knight ("The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win") and Vince Lombardi ("Everyone has a will to win, but very few have the will to prepare to win"). Another version is attributed to Tanzanian runner Juma Ikangaa: "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare". The core idea is that desire alone is not enough; true success comes from the dedication to prepare and put in the hard work beforehand. This highlights that the effort put in before the actual event—the hard work, practice, and planning—is more critical than the wish to win itself. While most people want to win, far fewer are willing to put in the time and dedication to prepare.

Ikangaa, a sentimental fan favorite, finished second at the Boston Marathon three years in a row, from 1988 to 1990. He famously trained extremely hard, but was disappointed when he didn’t win. When he finally did win the New York City Marathon in November 1989, he explained his success with his famous quote. Reading between the lines a little, we can guess that Ikangaa always felt that he had the will to win, even when he didn’t. What may have changed when he crossed the line first is that he had worked even harder to prepare. (Read: to train.)

My packing preparation is now complete. I should be fine as long as I haven’t forgotten anything vital. I don’t think so. My training (preparation), however, is a different story. When I signed up for a bunch of half marathons early this year, I had been thinking that this one might be my best chance for a speedy time. But now I think it could be the slowest. 

Until now, it’s been a pretty decent year. My marathon times have been in line with recent years, and my half-marathon times have improved. Most were consistent, but the Hofbräuhaus Half at 1:47 exceeded all expectations. But my training in recent weeks has been almost non-existent. So expectations for today’s race are low. Very low. But that’s okay.