I just found out that a very good friend from high school passed away recently from an alcohol and drug issue. Although I haven’t seen Pat in a very long time, I can vividly remember his infectious smile and great sense of humor. We played football together, and although he wasn’t the star of the team, I remember his passion for the game, his great work ethic and never give up attitude.

I’ve struggled with my own demons in life. My life, like most people has had it’s ups and downs, great accomplishments as well as setbacks. But the one constant has always been running. Through the good times and the bad it has never let me down. When I need time to think uninterrupted I go for a run. I have found many of the answers to my life’s problems out on the roads or trails.

I can’t emphasis enough the importance of making your running and training personal. You goals shouldn’t be to beat the guy or gal standing next to you. Your goal should be to surpass your own previous achievements. Your goals should include keeping your body, mind and spirit fit. Don’t compete for the sake of beating someone else, but to move forward in your own capacity. Your personal best will always come when there are other people around you, supporting you, and encouraging you. They will inspire you to push yourself to new limits, as your successes will push them to new seek new limits in their lives. Our goals should always be our own progress, and recognizing that progress should be one of life’s joys.

I love to run. I try to pass on that passion to everyone I coach. Sure there are mornings when I drag myself out of bed and think, “I don’t feel like it today.”  However, somewhere in the middle of the workout, that amazing feeling of accomplishment and sense of freedom I always experience prevails. My point is, if having fun, and enjoying your training is not part of your goals, you will never accomplish them.

So tomorrow when you’re stepping out the door and the sun is barely over the horizon. Don’t think, “Why am I doing this.”  Take those first couple of steps, get into that rythmn, put a smile on your face and think, “Oh yea, life is pretty good today.”

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun.

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.