do u run just to win?

'if not to win, why do you do it? why did you run as hard as you could?' 

to me, running is not just about winning. but just because i don't think winning is the most important thing, does not mean i do not run my best.  winning is a bonus. but more importantly, i try my best, for myself. is that really such a wrong mindset to have? 

let's talk about the flip side of the coin - in that winning is the end goal of everything. but really, at what cost? are you prepared to win at all costs? of course it is simple to say, i just want to run with the best people on my team, and no-one lesser than me, because i want to win and winning is oh-so-everything. but then remember, what you are doing is finding the best conditions for yourself to win, and not you yourself trying your best and fighting to win. i may choose to run not with the best people, i may be choosing unfavourable conditions for myself, but, i know i will fight with my team to win. and even if we don't we know we fought together and it is the journey ultimately that will be worth more than your golden team that barely knows each other and wins. 

but, let's take it to the logical extreme here. if winning is everything, then if today, there is a drug, undetectable, but allows your performance to increase threefold, you would go for it? taking it one more notch up, hiring the mafia to kill everyone better than you would be something you would be so willing to do because - winning is everything apparently. 

does that bring you the satisfaction you want? 

should winning triumph friendship? should winning triumph moral boundaries? should winning triumph social boundaries? 

people don't see that winning in itself does not bring satisfaction. if it were so true, we would so structure situations that would allow us to unfairly compete just to win, to assure unobstructed victory. in actual fact it is the thrill of close competition that attracts our interest. 

so are there any boundaries to winning is everything? 

personally, i feel it is good to want to win, but sometimes it is not always about winning. it should be governed by social and moral boundaries. and just because i do not think winning is everything does not mean i am not a competitive runner. i just value other things more than winning. 

winning is an outcome, but sometimes when people become so obsessed with winning, they lose sight of the the journey. they lose sight of who they are, who they once were. they lose sight of how they got there. they lose appreciation for people who don't win.