"The results would have stayed on the watch face until the batteries died. But trying to make time stand still this way would have been a mistake. It is just as important to erase times eventually as to save them at first"
About this Quote
The subtext is about control. “Trying to make time stand still” isn’t just sentiment; it’s an athlete’s coping strategy. Injuries, age, selection politics, and the blunt entropy of the body all threaten the one thing you’re promised you can own: performance. Saving times feels like taking possession of your life. Henderson calls it a mistake because it turns the tool into a shrine, and shrines demand worship.
His most telling move is the pivot from saving to erasing. He doesn’t dismiss record-keeping; he insists on its opposite as a parallel discipline. Keep the data, learn the lesson, then delete the psychic attachment. That’s the context: a competitor speaking from inside a world that fetishizes personal bests, where the past can become an anchor masquerading as motivation. Erasing isn’t denial; it’s maintenance. It makes room for the next race, and for a self that isn’t trapped behind a blinking digital judgment.
Quote Details
| Topic | Letting Go |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Henderson, Joe. (2026, January 17). The results would have stayed on the watch face until the batteries died. But trying to make time stand still this way would have been a mistake. It is just as important to erase times eventually as to save them at first. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-results-would-have-stayed-on-the-watch-face-69222/
Chicago Style
Henderson, Joe. "The results would have stayed on the watch face until the batteries died. But trying to make time stand still this way would have been a mistake. It is just as important to erase times eventually as to save them at first." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-results-would-have-stayed-on-the-watch-face-69222/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The results would have stayed on the watch face until the batteries died. But trying to make time stand still this way would have been a mistake. It is just as important to erase times eventually as to save them at first." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-results-would-have-stayed-on-the-watch-face-69222/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
