Vince Lombardi said, “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.” I want to be the best. This drives me to run as many miles as possible. It makes me devour training plans and physiological studies. It sometimes wears me out. I’m worn out.

This is a cut-back week for me. Some elites have started calling these weeks absorption weeks because the recovery times after hard workouts are when the body actually absorbs the training effect. The workouts tear us down, and our bodies rebuild us, stronger, like the Bionic Man, during the rest and recovery time. This rebuilding takes a lot of energy, though. I’ve had some pretty crummy runs this week because all my energy has been usurped by this recovery.

At least, that’s what I hope is happening. Many runners (including me) become very insecure during this phase of training. That’s why I need a training plan. I know I was running some tough workouts and running them well. I remind myself of that when I drag myself through a rough run.

I also avoid piling too much onto my body. I would be severely tempted to run harder when I felt poorest if my plan didn’t hold me back. Hammering tough workout to make up for a lack of confidence would ruin the recovery period.

I’m never going to be in the Olympics. I’m not going to even run as fast as Joan Benoit Samuelson does in her fifties, but I’m trying to get the most excellence out of my body as possible. That’s why I run more than most people think is wise. That’s why I push myself. Someone once said,  “Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible.”

What do you in pursuit of excellence? Where are you chasing perfection? What are you willing to risk?