Day 25 - Fast, but not too quick

Fast, but not too quick 

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Usually when you’re one of the fastest people alive, you get certain nicknames – quick, or flash, or speed demon, or some other such ordinary word or phrase associated with speed. If you can sprint, maybe you go to the Olympics. If you can catch a ball, maybe you end up in the NFL. If you’re trying to be a superhero though? Well, either you give yourself a code name or some plucky reporter might do that for you. Of course, if you’re trying to be a hero, then a million other considerations come in to play.

I might be the fastest man alive. Maybe. Depends on what we’re measuring - sprinting, stamina, marathon endurance, length of time, etc. Some people speed up quickly but can’t maintain it. Some people are slower, but stay that speed for longer. I’m fast for a human. I’m not always quick. Some people can make a change; cut one way or the other. Given a flat surface, and enough distance to really get going, I can run fast. For a bit anyway.

Once upon a time Usain Bolt set a world record when he ran the 100-meter sprint in 9.58 seconds. Or if you don’t know what that means, about 23 miles per hour. And he did that for 9 seconds. Imagine driving on the highway at 23mph and calling yourself fast. Years later scientists used a laser to show that his peak was about 27mph. I ran 40 miles per hour once. For about a minute. It was exhausting. I got a massage and took a nap.

So what is it that makes a man fast? Stride length? Foot-ground contact time? Muscle contraction and ability to bounce back with great force? I think of those old movies of horses running, where there are frames that show all four hooves are off the ground. Seems almost like flying to me. Even if it is for just one-tenth of a second. What if I could stretch that? Double or triple it? Touch the ground less, less wear and tear on the muscles, greater distance traveled. But that only matters if top speed is what I’m after.

If you want to be a hero, you can’t just run in a straight line. Speed over distance at any rate doesn’t really matter if you’re trying to get someone out of a burning building, or move someone out of the way of oncoming traffic. You need to be fast immediately, be able to turn on a dime, and have all other functions operate at the same rate. Who cares if you can get from point A to point B in 9 seconds if you can’t grab someone or push or pull or spin out of the way? Running is one thing, but throwing a bunch or dodging a laser blast is an entirely different thing. You need to start fast, move fast, think fast, react fast, and change directions fast. Do everything and anything fast. What good is being the fastest man alive when you’re only able to do it running in a straight line?

If I hear a cry for help, I react. I have to try. It would be better if I moved a little quicker. One step at a time. Try to get better next time.