AI can't run my race for me.

Accomplishments aren't fun unless you've done the work.

TaylorAug 10, 2026

I want to run a 4 hour marathon. After that, I'd like to run it faster. But AI will never run for me. I have to complete the run.

And I want to reference Elizabeth Lopatto's amazing essay about Mark Zuckerberg's take on AI:

Is the point of life merely to stockpile accomplishments? If that is what Silicon Valley believes, no wonder all the billionaires seem so unhappy all the time! They have traded experience for accomplishment, and cheated themselves out of their own lives in the process.

That's how I really feel about AI.

Running to me is about journeys, literally and figuratively.

  • The people you say hello to when you run on the street.
  • The friends I made from checking out Run Clubs.
  • The feeling my body has when the wind blows.
  • How my muscles adjust and shape to get to my goal.

I run because the journey is exciting. The destination is a celebration of the time and effort put in.

If I just get a medal without that time and effort, then the medal is just a material thing, not a representation of a life lived.



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