The Qualities of Courage

In my quest to decipher what goes into success, I look at courage. Of course, as I found out recently, and as with many things, there is courage, and then there is COURAGE.

Good news – I met my standards for a successful run in the Marine Corps Marathon, but the competition for courageousness was steep.

Dictionary.com defines courage as - the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear. I want to say that it took courage to run and finish another marathon, but after what I saw on the Marine Corps Marathon course, I’d have to say mine was on the lower end of the courage curve, which runs from tenacity to heroism. A synonym of courage is gritty, so I will claim that for completing the run, but not courageous.

Often, we must answer for our choices, with this race being one of those times for me. I knew I would have to justify my actions when my mind and body began to ache, and the usual marathon question began, “Why is it not OK to stop or walk for a spell?” The answer that continually came up was, “I will finish and refuse to walk because real courage surrounds me.”

An Easier Fight for One Reason

If you have followed my articles about marathon training and running, there is no such thing as easy. But here’s the thing, as I was walking to the starting line and thinking of 26.2 miles, we walked alongside Arlington National Cemetery. Immediately, I think, “How difficult is five hours of running when I see the sacrifice of so many?” The walk made me understand real courage and that freedom comes with a price. I realized that sacrificing oneself for others is what courage is about, and I wish I had done more of it in my life. Hopefully, from here on out, I will improve.

Wondering If

I sometimes wonder how my life would be now had I been born a year or two earlier or if many would not have had the courage to protest the Vietnam war. Perhaps, I would have had to serve as the war continued. And who knows if some of my friends would have ended up there. It was close as I had a draft number, but things were winding down, and it’s only a grateful memory now.

Having just watched the updated version of All Quiet on the Western Front, I saw myself in many characters. It didn’t take long for the volunteers to think, “WTF – this is not what I thought war would be like.” The story covers the main character who only fights because he cares to live but sees himself in the men he’s fighting – a sense of humanity like him, scared like him, questioning war itself like him. I doubt if I would have had the bravery, it would take.

Getting back to the question I kept having to answer.

Determination

How can I not finish or even walk some? Are you kidding? After receiving encouragement from US marines who have or may someday face situations where real courage will be necessary as they put their lives on the line for the rest of us, how could I not give my all? After hearing a Marine call out, “You got this, " I vow to finish.” Heck yea, I think, and I pray for each of them as I keep, keeping on.

Perseverance

How can I not finish or even walk some? Well, after passing the Washington and Lincoln Memorials or of men raising the US flag on the island of Iwo Jima, how can I slow?   And how could I ease up after meeting family and friends of the brother of one of their group who had died in Vietnam?  It takes courage never to forget and to sacrifice their time and effort to pay tribute to him each year by running this event, even veering from the course to go the extra mile to find his name on the Vietnam War Memorial. They live up to the Marines’ motto, “Semper Fidelis,” - “Always Faithful.”

Valor

How can I not finish or even walk? Here’s why - the lead-off for the race is the wheelchair contestants. I assume many lost the use of the lower half of their bodies or lost their legs completely while serving our country. They inspire me to no end as I realize how fortunate I am to have the use of my legs to keep running year in and year out. They embody courage at its core as they continue to put themselves on the competitive line.

Bravery

How can I not finish or even walk some? At around halfway, posters and biographies of Marines who paid the ultimate price for our country line both sides of the trail. I did my best to catch as many names as possible and will never forget that tribute for as long as I live.

Marine Corps Marathon Summary

While running the Marine Corps Marathon, a sense of pride overcame me like no other in my previous races. The thought that hit me often, “We are free,” and the reasons for such liberty scatter the course. In these perilous times, I pray it remains that way and for a country to fight for that freedom.

As implied, I’ve always felt somewhat courageous while persevering many miles when everything in me is yelling stop. I now understand I am not courageous compared to those who have sacrificed their lives and continue to do so, but I will settle for more minor qualities of courage like grittiness and undeterred.

Still, this marathon taught me that nothing compares to the courage that fighting for freedom entails. As Walter Conkrite said, “There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free.”

Gratefulness

Finally, I give thanks for all the marine inspiration and pride of being an American, and I’m proud to have finished with tiredness as the only after-effect. I am also grateful that I feel the need to run another marathon. If I had many more years of running ahead of me, I would love to run the Marine Corps marathon each year. However, with Father Time gaining ground, I will begin deciding which marathon I will enter next year. Currently on my radar are the following:

Philadelphia, St. Jude’s, Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, Space Coast Marathon, with more to come. Oh, to be young again. Happy Trails!