Countdown to 60 - Running

Not very long ago I realised that one of the easy ways of getting myself into shape would be to start running. Now understand me well, I did not like running at all! I thought it was a very boring way of exercising. I created in my mind this image of running being boring. And I said it aloud to many people. But somewhere in the background of my unconscious I know that a lot of people told me I had the build of somebody that should be running.

  

But back to this running thing. A few years ago I also start running but I think at that stage it was more a matter of peer pressure than pure pleasure. I did eventually complete a half marathon. I can also remember not being able to walk well for about a week because of not being well prepared for this long run.

What changed? Why am I now getting more enjoyment from running? Is it always enjoyable? Let me start by saying this: the habit and excuses and self-talk that I developed my whole life when it comes to running have not magically disappeared. Combating these things is a constant battle, a work in progress.

But here are some of the lessons I've learned:

7.          In health there is freedom - Henri Frederic Amiel

I think the one thing that motivated me most to start running again was my health. I realize that being over 50 at that stage, if I did not do something with my health I would not be able to enjoy a quality life later on because no matter how big your dreams, how motivated you are to succeed, all the things you want to achieve, places you want to travel to, all would be difficult if you are unhealthy.


8.           Commitment turns our dreams into reality

Running takes a lot of commitment. You have to commit a lot of time and some money to running. But isn't it true for anything in life? If you are not committed in the things you are you doing, you will not be successful. In running as in life, the commitment has to be followed by action. We can write a commitment down in journals, on iPads, on a piece of paper stuck on a wall or even affirm it every morning and every night but unless we actually start doing it the commitment is just an empty promise. 

9.          Ask yourself: “Can I give more?” The answer is usually “Yes!” Paul Tergat

If, on the one side of the coin you have "commitment", on the other side of the coin you will most probably have "giving up" - especially if you are trying to break a longstanding habit or belief. It is so much easier to go back to your old habits than it is to develop new ones. It is important to remember not to sacrifice your long-term gains for short-term pleasures. 

The thing is, whatever you are doing in life that you commit to, you can be assured that there will be times when you want to give up. Don't! It is during this time that you are growing the most. By stretching just a little more, putting the little more effort in or in the case of running just running to the next lamppost, you are becoming a stronger person not just better at what you doing.

10.          No one ever excused his way to success -   Dave Deldotto

Sometimes the habits of your old ways of doing things really mess with your head. That little voice of the old habit keeps on nagging at you to stop doing what you doing by creating all kinds of excuses that sounds oh so good. And it starts long before you actually have to go out and do the task, go for run, make the appointment or whatever. The little voice tells you to do to something else, that the weather is bad, it's too early, or too late and all of it quite attractive reasons for not sticking to the commitment. Watch out! Do not give in because it will lead to you giving up. Excuses are simply procrastination.

    

11.          Visualisation – Start with the end in mind.

I think this is one of the most powerful tools that I've learned to use in everything I do since I started running.

With running I visualize what my body would look like when I'm fit. I visualize the run that I'm going to take. I visualize finishing, during the run I visualise myself getting to the top of the hill or getting to the next turn in the road. It is a matter of fact that your mind cannot distinguish between what you visualise and what you are actually doing - to your mind it is the same thing. But to your body it is something quite different. You don't get healthy by sitting in a chair thinking about running or exercising. You get healthy by actually going out and doing exercises. Visualisation can make it easier but be aware, visualising short-term pleasures can be so much clearer than visualising long-term gain.

12.          Live in the moment.

This may seem to you as a contradiction to visualisation. If you live fin the moment, why bother to visualise, isn't that thinking about the future? Living in the moment actually complements visualisation and visualisation complements living in the moment. In his book: The Present, Spencer Johnson writes that you should be in the present, learn from the past, and plan for the future. This is a book that I would recommend everybody to read.

What has this got to do with running? When I am running I am very aware of what is happening every moment. I take notice of my body, of what it tells me as I am running. I take note of my heartbeat. My breathing. Any aches and pains. I also take note of where I'm running, any obstacles, the traffic, the beauty that surrounds me. In other words I pay attention to all my senses as I am running. That is living in the now. It also makes doing the hard yards a pleasure. Seeing the beautiful flowers next to the road, smelling the ocean breeze, hearing children laughing as they play. If we look for it we will find so many things that we can be grateful for every moment of our lives, just as looking for the negative will make you see all the negative. The choice is yours.

  

You cannot do things yesterday or tomorrow, you can only do them now. You can learn from what you've done yesterday. You can plan on what you want to do tomorrow. You can only "Do" now.