"The Secret"...of Running?

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the recent media phenomenon of “The Secret” books and DVD’s. By its own admission, “The Secret” is not a new concept, but simply the theory that you attract what you release into the universe through your thoughts. Everything begins with a thought.

So how does this relate to running? Non-runners might think there isn’t much thinking involved. I told an old friend once that I had started running, but that I wasn’t very good at it. “What’s there to be good at? You just put one foot in front of the other.” Sage advice, but some days you need more than Nike’s cliché: “Just Do It”.

What are you thinking when you run? What are you thinking when you lace up your sneakers? What are you thinking about that upcoming race? Running is so exhaustive that at times it tends to drench you with negative thoughts like beads of sweat on a sweltering day. The pressure of competing against yourself and others, particularly when racing, can summon a good deal of fear and self-doubt.

What are your goals in your running career? Is it to get in shape? To achieve a personal best? How are you attracting results? “The Secret” advises us not to fight for it, but to believe it as if it’s already occurred. When you look at elite runners, their faces don’t appear as if they’re fighting, they look as though they’re gliding along like they own the road.

A couple of weeks ago I was a little beat and unenthused during one of my virgin outdoor runs of the season, and was taking a little sit-break. A runner whom I’d never met before encouraged me to get up and keep going. He ran with me for a while, and reminded me that it’s all about having fun. Was it? I thought. Oh yeah, it was. He jogged the next mile with me and it flew by in a flash.

It was fun. I believed him, and attracted a great run for the day. Don’t fight for a personal record or weight loss goal. Have fun, enjoy the Spring air, and believe you are who you want to be, now. Visualize your goal, and the universe will grant it to you.
 

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