(published in Ultra Running Magazine March 2012)
1. Find new routes everyday. I mean everyday. Take them.
2. Cycle your training. Plan your peaks and valleys. From month to month, week to week, and day to day. There’s a time to push, and a time to pull back.
3. Don’t forget your posse. Run with them regularly. Swap stories. Talk about running. Talk about life. They keep you grounded. They remind you why you run.
4. Lay low every once in a while. I’m not talking about for a couple of days. Or even for a couple of weeks. I’m talking about for a couple of months. Find something else to do.
5. Commit. To a goal. To an event. Any event. Preferably one that inspires you. If you can’t, rest easy. It’s not the end of the world. If you can, smile, and enjoy the ride.
6. Tune in. To music. To audio books. To talk radio. Whatever entices you while you run. Stream music (vs download) and listen to anything, anytime, and be surprised.
7. Tune out. Don’t think, just do. Let your mind drift while you run. Like a tumbleweed in a warm desert wind.
8. Wander. Leave home with no particular place to go. No routine. No plan. Just run.
9. Stop regularly on a run. Look around. You will be amazed at the little things that look back at you.
9.5. Always remember this: Running is not a job. It’s not a duty. It’s not an obligation. It is your life, at that moment. Keep it real. Embrace it.