Blog post 2

The Greeks believed in arete, which meant the pursuit of excellence in everything you do and in everything you experience.  For example, a music student would devote hours a day to practice
violin, an ice skater would spend hours at the rink, or an artist would spend hours devoted to painting.
Arete also involves seeking excellence in experiences. A cook would look for the best new recipes to try, a traveler would would explore new places each year or a movie fan would search movie reviews for the best film to see. The achievement of excellence doesn't come without a price. The ancient Greeks called that price, "agon,"which  means struggle or contest. They believed that achieving excellence didn't come without a sacrifice or competition. What I would like to consider is the necessity of competition in the achievement of excellence.


The ancient Greeks believed that competition was necessary to acquire high quality performance.
Everyone needs motivation to achieve a higher level in their own field. Different people find motivation in different ways.  Many people need to see competitors' achievements and try to outdo them. For some individuals, the goal is to reach the level of a competitor and then leave the competition in the dust. The ancient Greeks had many different competitions, such as harp competitions, discus throws and Olympic events. Ancient Greeks held festivals to honor their gods, and competitions were important parts of the festivals. Musicians, poets, actors and athletes competed against one another. The Dionysius festival in Athens even involved competitions between playwrights. For the ancient Greeks, competitions motivated athletes and artists in arete, but the competitions also honored the Gods. When I compete with other runners it helps me improve. competing isn't just about winning or losing, it's about being part of a running community. We are all working to do our best, and the community pushes me to improve my techniques. I wouldn't have achieve my best speeds without the opportunity to compete.

Some people have an internal calling to increase their skill levels and are able to set their own goals. There are people who are turned off by competition and who strive for self-improvement. Striving on your own can be lonely and it can even be painful. As Martha Graham said, "I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It is permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable." (artofwomenfoundation.org,17 Nov 20) Martha Graham is an example of an artist who had an inner drive to explore dance and to change the way dance was performed and taught. When I run alone I feel confident, I have the power to decide where and how fast to run. Running is such an individual sport that it's important to make time to practice alone. It gives me a chance to focus on my breathing and pushing harder. I run faster when I am alone because I am focused.

Based on my experience I believe that both competition and practicing alone are important to achieve excellence. Without my running community I would not have achieved so many racing goals. It makes a difference to be surrounded  by people who are all working to do their best. practicing by myself allows me to focus and to choose what techniques I am going to try to improve. For me achieving arete in running requires struggle, focused work by myself and inspiration of competing in a community of runners.