I Ran Today
*Included are several Nike commercials I find particularly motivational. Please enjoy
“I always loved running… it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your own feet and the courage of your lungs.”
-Jesse Owens
John Riggins ran over people, Barry Sanders ran around people. Joe Montana ran to his right and released the ball to Dwight Clark who was running in the back of the end zone. Lamar Jackson runs, cuts, ducks, dodges, scampers, and runs some more. Emmit Smith ran year after year.
Dr. J ran full speed to the free throw line and took off. Michael Jordan ran, elevated, switched the ball from his right and to his left and scooped it into the basket. Pelé ran and flipped his body upside down and backwards, kicked the ball in the goal, took his shirt off then took off running again.
Willie Mays ran and caught the ball over his back, Junior ran full speed into the wall and still caught the ball. Rickey Henderson ran 60 feet a lot. Ali and both Sugar Rays ran to train. Usain Bolt ran 100 yards faster than anyone, Edwin Moses ran and jumped over hurdles. Eliud Kipchoge ran 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 secs. Dean Karnazes often runs over 100 miles. People run 5Ks, 10Ks, 10 milers, half and full marathons. Others swim a long time, bike even longer, then run. Now people do Tough Mudders and Spartan races running from obstacle to obstacle. They are all runners, but they do not run in the same way. (I wanted to list more famous runners but my editor said “NO”.)
99.9% of the population has run at some point in their life. You run across the street as the light changes. You ran to your hiding place, you ran to dodge the ball, you ran to play tag. Some ran until they felt they were too old for playground games. Others kept running until that last time they took off the jersey. Some run into the burning building while others run down the bad guy. Our ancestors ran to hunt and some of us still do. We run to hug our loved ones. Running is as natural to us as eating and breathing.
“If you run, you are a runner, it doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”
-John Bingham
Some of us stop running. Maybe we grew up. Maybe we no longer play the sport or retired from defending our country. Maybe we completed the big running event and decided, “that’s enough”, since we accomplished our goal. But is it a bigger accomplishment to run a marathon when you’re young and fit, or run a mile at 80 years old? Anyway, at some point some of us decide we need to run again. Maybe our doctor tells us to get in shape and we want to avoid taking medicine for our cholesterol, or blood sugar, or blood pressure. Maybe we just want to look better when we hit the beach. Maybe we want to feel like we did when we were younger or maybe we are not ready to give up the sport we love. We want more energy. We want to live longer or just generally live better. No matter the reason, running is a ‘go to’ for many of us when we think of getting in shape or improving our health. However, I believe many of us feel we need to run a certain way in order for it “to count”. Maybe we think we need to run for 3 miles or 30 minutes. But this only discourages us. We feel miserable. We think we look too awkward. Then we decide we hate running, and just like that we stop running…again.
“There is no way around it, running sucks, but you know what sucks more? Man boobs, they really suck. I am not a runner yet”
-Nike
Some people can keep pushing forward, but for most of us there is no way we will have the willpower year after year to keep it up. We make excuses. We get too busy, we quit after the first injury or set back. All we can think about is the pain in our body or how much longer. We finally decide we are not runners. What we don’t know is we just aren’t that type of runner. I just listed a ton of famous runners. They all ran drastically differently. (And I’d like to point out that you don’t have to be a professional athlete, run marathons, or sign up for every local 5K to be a runner. If you run then you are a runner). You just need to find the way you run. Maybe you can’t stand monotony and you need to run a bunch of different ways. My 80 year old aunt and uncle run most days. To the untrained eye, someone might think they are walking. Occasionally someone will say “I saw you out walking, enjoying the day.” Either one will look you straight in the eye and say “it must have been someone else, I didn’t go for a walk today”. It does not matter what your run looks like as long as you get moving.
If you’re like my aunt and uncle and your run looks more like a walk that's perfectly fine. Walking should be something every able-bodied person should strive for. The mile you walk is better than the three miles you did not run. Once you can walk a good distance then change it up and build from there. Try doing intervals where you walk faster for a minute. Consider adding a minute of jogging. Try sprinting for 10 yards. Build yourself up until you are comfortable moving your body.
Most of us run too slow on our short runs and too fast on our long runs. We never take the time to learn how to control our breath. We never learn to control our stride. These are things we can easily research or be coached in to make runs more enjoyable. We think we are too old to do sprints. We even worry how we look to others. At some point we all could run. If you still can then never stop. My favorite sprint workout is to sprint for 20 seconds every 2 minutes and repeat 8 times. 8 sprints in 16 minutes and you're done. You can do this on hills or flat ground. If you have not sprinted in years, start slow. Sprint for 10 seconds, jog for 10 seconds, or walk fast for 10 seconds. You can do anything for 10 seconds.
I started running for distance in the seventh grade to get in shape for sports. On rare occasions I liked it. I have run to get back to my healthy weight.. I have run to control my blood pressure and my stress. I ran with my friend who felt his addiction to running was safer than his addiction to alcohol. I have hated some runs and loved others. I have envied people who run mile after mile year after year and enjoyed it. When I finally felt I was getting the hang of it, finding my pace and enjoying more runs, my body struggled to keep up. A sore knee or hip one day, a pulled muscle the next. That’s when I learned to change it up. Now, sometimes I run in the woods, sometimes on the road. Sometimes short and sometimes long. Some sprints and some slow. Sometimes in the sun, others in the rain and sometimes on the treadmill. I found a way to enjoy running again.
I am not saying that running needs to be the primary ingredient in your fitness routine. Functional strength training, flexibility, and agility are likely more important as we age. Nutrition is more important to maintain a healthy weight and strength training is more effective in determining how we look and function at that weight. Cardio exercise is critical for cardiopulmonary function but you can get your cardio from many other options including biking, swimming, cardio movement classes, and sports. My point is we should all do our best to maintain or regain the ability to run. Running is a great fall back exercise, but it can also be critical in everyday life.
I ran today. I was going to run on the treadmill a few miles, but my wife was sleeping in so I decided to head outside. I saw a running series on my Headspace meditation app and decided to give the 25 minute program a try. I had no idea what to expect. I started off slow and a calm voice told me to go slower. It told me to concentrate on my breath and stride. Then it had me run hard for about a minute. I was relaxed. No wasted movement with my breath controlled, and then it slowed me down again. It kept repeating this pattern and soon I was in a flow. As I passed people I didn’t care that I was running slow or very fast, I didn’t think about them at all. I enjoyed it so much I did it twice. Several miles feeling great. I came home energized for the day. I danced to the music while I made breakfast. Later, I went on a hike with my daughter when she woke up. I sat down and wrote. I was happy and relaxed. It was a great day because I ran today.
“I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.”
- Ronald Rook
Bonus motivation of my hero, Rocky getting in shape: