Burn The Boat In 2018. Are You On Board?

I’ve shared Peter Bromka’s writing in the morning shakeout once or twice before. His most recent post, Burn The Boat, in which he declares his intention to go after a big personal best and an Olympic Trials qualifying time later this year at the Cal International Marathon, will resonate with many of you even if you can’t imagine yourself aboard the same ship. Why? Bromka is just an average person going after a not-so-average objective, one that a few years ago wasn’t even remotely on his radar, and one that, as a husband, father, and workingman “has not been a lifelong goal, and it will not be our defining moment. But it will be remembered—by us if no one else—that when the opportunity arose, we stepped up.”

Bromka may very well fail in his attempt, but he’s got the guts to step up and give it a shot, which is admirable, if not commendable. Dreaming big—whatever form “big” might take—and pursuing something where success is uncertain, if not unlikely, takes a special kind of chutzpah.

So how will you step up and burn your own boat? Show some virtual solidarity on Twitter, Instagram, or wherever you share stuff online, tag it with #burntheboat2018, and don’t look back. For me, I want to set fire to my soon-to-be 11-year-old marathon personal best before the year lets out.

“That’s the goal. No reason to beat around the bush.”