Running 4 Your Life

As I sit here on the South Shore Electric Line train headed to East Chicago, Indiana, I am thinking about how we are always traveling. We often seem to be “on our way” to some place - the “place” not always being a physical destination.

We might be traveling to a position in our company, to a happier state of mind, to a goal that we have set for ourselves. Or we might be traveling, in fact, to another physical location - as I am today, to Indiana and then on to Benton Harbor, Michigan.

I am reminded of a story Wayne Dyer tells (more…)

I’ve been writing blog posts for a few months now, but sometimes I like to double back and remind my readers what this whole “Running 4 Your Life” blog is all about.

My goal is to help motivate and inspire people to achieve their goals. If I can share a lesson that might help people somehow improve their physical, emotional, spiritual, or relationship health, then I am fulfilling my purpose.

In addition to lessons I’ve learned and reflections on experiences , I often offer practical suggestions on things like losing weight and dog training. We can never learn less - we can only learn more, so why not share what we know with other people?

I welcome and enjoy your comments - I learn things from you, too!

This morning I watched a segment on the Today Show involving a woman who sued (and won) her financé for “jilting” her - that is, backing out on his “promise” to marry her. The court awarded her $150,000 in this suit.

I am not aware of all the details of the case, but apparently, her strongest argument was that she left a good job to move to another state in order to marry him. She relied on him to make good on his promise so it was his fault that she quit her high-paying job.

This is just one example of a situation that we are seeing more and more of these days: (more…)

A couple of days ago, I was talking to someone who told me that he wants to start running, but he just doesn’t have the time. So, after talking for a little while, we finally determined that it’s not really that he doesn’t have enough time - because we found the time - rather, it’s that he just doesn’t know how to get started and stay with it. Every time he gets started, he “falls off the wagon” and ends up stopping. Saying there’s not enough time is just an excuse.

So, how do you get started and stick with it? Here are a few tips: (more…)

Do your knees ever hurt? Clearly, there are many contributing factors to knee pain, but one common factor is excess weight.

Recently on a CNN segment, a reputable doctor reported that for every 1 pound of weight you lose, you take 2 pounds of pressure off your knees. Think about that for a minute. Let’s say you are 10 pounds overweight. That is like having a 10-pound weight strapped to each leg everyday as you walk around - 20 total pounds of pressure on your knees.

What happens with a lot of us who say we’d like to lose weight, we look at too big an amount to start with, and we get overwhelmed. Bite-size chunks (no pun intended) is the way to lose weight. Don’t start with “I have to lose 60 pounds.” Start with, “I am losing 2 pounds per week.”

Ray Burton wrote an excellent book entitled Fat to Fit. I am a big fan of Dr. Phil’s approach to psychology - and Ray Burton reminds me of Dr. Phil (which is probably why I like his book so much). His approach is very sensible and absolutely doable for anybody. But it is all up to you - as the saying goes, “No one will do your pushups for you.”

Bottom line on weight loss is simple math: (more…)

There are several versions of “Running Commandments,” and I have compiled a list of some of my favorites. These are certainly not original with me, and I’m not sure where they originated; however, they are worth considering, so I thought I’d share them with you today.

• Don’t make running your life; make it part of your life.

• Don’t compare yourself to other runners.

• When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.

• Don’t always run alone.

• Don’t always run with people.

• The best runs sometimes come on the days you didn’t feel like running.

• All runners are equal; some are just faster than others.

• There are no short cuts to run excellence.

• Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.

• Don’t try to out run dogs.

• Without goals, training has no purpose.

• Go for broke, but prepare to be broken.

• Runners who never fail are runners who never tried anything great.

• Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.

Remember: The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

I’m back in Chicago for a few weeks after a long trek across the country from Idaho. Nebraska and Iowa were pretty uneventful until I ran into a major thunderstorm in Iowa. And, what’s the first thing you think of when you look out over the vast plains of Iowa? Tornadoes. Thankfully, we did not encounter any tornadoes - just wild winds, thunder, lightning, and sheets of rain.

We’ve talked about focusing on the process - traveling 2000 miles across the country is a good exercise in practicing this. You set a goal, and if you focus on just being in the moment and taking in your surroundings, you’ll eventually reach your destination. Driving, I was forced to practice focusing on the moment at hand.

Jack Canfield says, “When you’re in the room, be in the room.” Just another way of reminding us that the only time we really have is right now.

We made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming, last night. Fremont was pretty happy to be out of the car. I just broke the news to him that we have to get back in the car this morning.

Had a little trouble with the wireless connection at the hotel last night, but it’s up and running this morning.

Gorgeous drive yesterday - I saw things I’ve never seen before. Tis the season, however - construction season that is. Saw a lot of that, too.

We’re headed to Davenport, IA, today. I’ve never driven across Nebraska. Always another new adventure.

Today begins my journey across the country with Fremont. We will probably travel around 800 miles today. And, I’m sure we will learn much along the way on this “ultra” of road trips. We’ll be posting from the road when we stop for the evening - hope we can find wireless somewhere…Let the adventure begin!

We all have our days that we just don’t feel like getting up and “getting out there” to do whatever it is we may do. It could be work, it could be exercise, it could even be socializing with friends. Temporary lapses of motivation are normal, and they tend to pass as quickly.

But sometimes, after long periods of hard training and finally making it to the target event, getting motivated again is a little harder.

The best way to “get going” again is to set another goal. Ok, you participated in your event, and you’re “done.” Take a few days off, and start looking for another one. Part of the fun is picking your next event. Then sign up for it. Once you clicked on that “Complete your order” button to allow them to charge your credit card, you are in. You’re committed. And, there’s nothing like signing up for an event to get you motivated again.

So, if you find yourself feeling a little less motivated after an event, start looking toward the next one. You’ll be amazed at your new found excitement.