“You know what’s the opposite of GOOD?” asked Kelly in the darkness, around mile 82 of the Umstead 100. I was busy tangling myself up in the headlamp. It was originally strapped over my hat, but the brim cast a shadow. It wasn’t a big deal, but I wanted things to be better for the runner who had the fortune of having me as her pacer. So I tried and failed to turn my cap backwards while keeping the light attached and pointing onward; off of my head, light pointing every which way but the direction we were going, I had instead plunged us into the pitch.

“Um, well, BAD, I guess. Or EVIL,” I answered, blinding myself in my struggle with both the light and the effort of trying to come up with a clever answer. The most impressive thing about Kelly is not her athleticism, which is certainly impressive, but her unbreakable focus and clarity. Sharp as a tack the entire 100. My brain was already fizzling.

“Nope. It’s a saying in medical school. The opposite of GOOD is BETTER.”

“Huh?” I finally got the hat turned around, but the lamp pressed the hat strap into my forehead uncomfortably. I took off the entire contraption and started over, this time blinding Kelly. “Hey, did I tell you the joke about the Bell Ringer?”

Since she goes to medical school, she has to deal with incoherent patients all the time. They have classes on the subject, from what I understand. Once the light was affixed back to the GOOD position, we continued on the journey. BETTER had stopped our forward progress. GOOD lit the way perfectly fine. GOOD is to BETTER what GO is to STOP. Opposites.

I like that lesson, and I’m not sure my corny jokes were an even trade. In how many other aspects of our lives has BETTER been the opposite of GOOD?

This is how supplements, shoes, stretches, exercises, power bracelets, ointments, tonics, and the like are sold. I’m not saying none of these things have any uses (well, except for power bracelets. C’mon, people, use your heads!). I just wonder if by trying to eat and exercise and run and recover and heal BETTER, we’re doing the opposite of GOOD. Take my Achilles, for instance.

I could do stretches, but I know a reputable doctor who insists they only aggravate Achilles damage. Still others would say not if you do the right stretches. I could apply KT tape, but the evidence for that is entirely anecdotal. I could get massage, but again I have doubts. Those are all things that supposedly are BETTER than GOOD. What’s GOOD? Look for the common denominator. For injuries, that’s rest. So I will rest.

My diet is the same: the common denominator of pretty much every diet plan is don’t stuff yourself, don’t starve yourself, and eat your veggies.

My training is the same: the common denominator of pretty much every training plan is run a bunch, sometimes fast, recover (I’m still working on the portions of each, obviously).

I’m not going to futz because it’s like a pimple. Or a scab, or a mosquito bite. We futz with those things because of a strong impulse to make it BETTER, only to make it INFECTED. The grim reality of it all is that most of the time, the best thing to do is tough it out and be patient.

Now, I’m not all Mr. Killjoy Sciencepants with everything. I maintain beliefs for which there’s no evidence. Like, for instance, that your average prehistory man would thrash us moderns in pretty much every athletic event. Why? Because he wasn’t bogged down by BETTER. He didn’t have optimal training and nutrition. He just lived a life where he was under a lot of pressure just to be GOOD enough to survive. He ran when he had to and when it was fun to. Maybe instead of trying to mimic their eating and exercising habits (our knowledge of which is incomplete at best), we should mimic their simplicity and stop futzing. If you feel good, run. If you hurt, rest.

Forget BETTER, just try to be GOOD. Then you’ll get better.

Thanks, Kelly.