Things I have learned through running–Part 1

1: I will never be “the best” athlete or runner but I can be the best athlete or runner that I have ever been. The older I get and the more time I spend participating in this sport the more and more I am learning to redefine “the best”. I have found that athletes, myself included, perform better when they are not focused on what everyone else is doing and they are focused on their own performance, their own goals, and personal success.

2: Running requires intrinsic motivation. There needs to be an internal driving force that pushes a person to train, to compete, and to keep doing it. All runners have a reason that they run, no one is running for the hell of it. It is important to find your motivation, recognize it and run with purpose. No matter what your reason for running is you have a purpose in the sport and in life, acknowledge this. A person who believes they have a purpose in this world can change the world.

3: If you do it once you can do it again. Do not doubt yourself or your ability. If you have accomplished something, whether it is running 1 mile, running 10 miles, or running 20 minutes in a 5k, you did it. You did it once and therefore you have the capability to do it over and over again. Will it be easy every time?–No, but you broke that barrier so why put it back up? It wasn’t a fluke, it wasn’t luck–It was you living without limitations.

4: Never say never. You will do a lot of things you said you would/could never do. No one can predict the future. Saying you will never do something shuts doors that should be left open for growth and possibilities. Never say never.

5: It is amazing where your feet can take you if you let them. Rely on yourself because you are the only person who can actually get you where you need to go. Decide where that is and start running. It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you get there. You will be amazed at the places you can go if you allow yourself to go.

6: The moment you stop believing that you have more to learn and you start thinking you know everything is the moment that you falter and the moment that you become stagnant, not just in regards to running. It is impossible to know everything, there is always room to improve and learn.