When in doubt, flat out. Or something like that.

In my previous blog, I mentioned my dismal results at the 2009 Nationals.  I wanted to expand upon the lesson I learned from that event.  As previously stated, I had buggered my first two runs with cones, and haphazard driving.  Thus, I concluded I should back off a bit, and get a clean run in.  While I succeeded in making a clean run, the time was terrible.  I had gone from a possible top 2 time, to 15th.  Obviously, not the kind of time I was looking for.

You hear the sayings all the time.  And, I presume, most people are like me and are all gung ho about them.  Terms like, "When in doubt, flat out".  Or, "Don't give up without a fight".  Or, "If I am going down, I am going down swinging".  All great sayings to rally behind. No one ever rallies behind, "When you're in a bad spot, play it safe"!  And I think there is a reason for that.  That is not how heroes are made.  Folk lore is not born of playing it safe.  That is not how you get the fair maiden or, in this case, trophy or jacket.  But which do we actually practice?  When it is crunch time, which side of the line do we fall upon?  I know which side I fell upon in 2009.  I tried playing it safe.  And I got burned.

Fast forward to this year.  Running "Bubba" (1988 Honda CRX Si in STS) at the Middiv Championships.  I have a comfortable lead going into day two, and am feeling good about things.  I head out on my first run.  Three cones.  Stupid cones, at that.  But the time was there.  Second run, not quite as fast.  Made a few mistakes, and hit a cone as well.  Starting to sound familiar?  I knew I could probably back off, and still win.  But it would be close.  Then, I remembered last year.  I remembered what happened when I tried to back it down.  So I switched philosophies, and went all out.  No guts, no glory!  Someone asked if I was going to back off a bit to get a clean run.  I believe my response was something like, "Bleep that, I'm going for it".  To be fair, I had to back off toward the end, but only because the tires were getting hot, and the car was pushing.  But I still gave it everything I could.  Time was a bit slower then I wanted (due to the overheated tires), but it was clean.  And, it was fastest in class, sealing my win.

Now, I am not saying it will always end like that.  There will be times when you go out and put it all on the line, and fail.  It is going to happen.  But much like the saying, "It is better to have loved, and lost, than to never have loved at all", I believe it is, "better to have gone all out, and failed, than to have wussed out, and come in 15th".