Notes from Steve

There’s this fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm 7 in 1.*  (They also did Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc.)  The story I remember is that everyone thought this guy killed seven bad guys in one blow, and really, he killed seven flies.  That’s a big difference.  

Yesterday - I got first place in my age division in a run down in Des Moines.  I posted a pic on Facebook after the race, saying something like - “push your boundaries, regardless of age”… the pic included the medal saying Des Moines Half Marathon, but I didn’t say that there were only three guys in my age division.  I think the couple of hundred people who liked my post and the 50-plus comments didn’t necessarily realize that I did a relatively slow 5K (3.1 miles) and not a half-marathon (13.1 miles).  

I didn’t say anything, and I probably should have - but my message was not about running or getting a medal.  It was more about doing stuff regardless of age, capacity, or whatever.  (I probably should clarify; but I’m not going to - it might motivate someone to think I ran a half-marathon and finished first out of a thousand people.)

*The Brothers Grimm fable “7 in 1” refers to “The Brave Little Tailor” (also known as “Seven at One Blow”), where a tailor kills seven flies at once and uses this accomplishment to trick a giant, fulfill difficult tasks for a king, and win a princess’s hand in marriage.