June 18, 2004

Twenty-six days to go until the Olympic Trials.

I again did not have a track meet last weekend, so no report from the athletic scene, but I did attend another wedding in Kansas City. On the drive home, I got to thinking about why people marry and why people do certain things in life. It hit me that people marry because they love each other. As for doing certain things, people will tell you they do them because they love them.

Peterson at the 2000 Big 12 Championships

I read in a book called "The Five Love Languages," by Gary Chapman, that "Paul, the Christian apostle to the Gentiles, exalted love when he indicated that all human accomplishments that are not motivated by love are, in the end, empty." That triggered a thought in my head as to why am I doing this sport of track and field when there are so many other avenues in life I could have taken.

The answer to my thought was because I love running. Being motivated by love is what gets me up in the morning before the sun comes up to run 4 miles and then go back and do another track workout at 3 in the afternoon. This motivation by love is what allows me to pick myself up after a bad race. It is also what forces me to learn all there is about my sport and to find ways to improve upon my craft so that I may transfer my knowledge to other people.

It was this same love that gave me the confidence to come back and train for another four years after coming so close to a spot on the 2000 Olympic team. So when you think to yourself while reading this or watching me run down Providence Road, 'Why does he do this?'

You now have the answer. Simply put, "I love it."