Establishing Good Running Habits with Foundation & Philosophy

Dear A & H…I know I just wrote but I’ve got such good news to share! Remember that conundrum I mentioned to you earlier. Well, I’ve figured it out! It all comes down to running habits. Writing about it at this very moment because I can’t not share something so good. ت

The Conundrum…

Sometimes I come across articles about running that have the words “got through,” “suffered,” “agony,” etc.

In a way, I can relate.

During my first 50K in 2015, all those sentiments really spoke to me about halfway through.

But that was because it was only supposed to be a long training run.

Intended to help me prepare for another race in the near future and try out new gear and nutrition.

To not be competitive at all.

But, I should have known. Put me in the vicinity of another runner and I instinctively challenge myself to catch up or move ahead. Now, dressed for the part and surrounded by hundreds of runners, I just couldn’t not compete.

But, I really did know better:

Not having enough miles behind me at this point in my training, my quads gave out at mile 17. Fortunately, walking for about a mile brought them back to life.
The bigger problem was my shoes. Thought they would be ideal but…maybe for somebody else. “Healed” broken bones in my right foot were once again screaming. The will to push limits is there but finding the right shoes that allow me to run longer than 3 hours comfortably…frustration.

Here’s where the conundrum comes in.

This race aside, most of my running is the opposite of the sentiment expressed in the words “got through,” “suffered,” and “agony,”.

Dark Clouds Rarely Rain on my Parade

Truly, all types of physical endeavors (running, of course, in the #1 spot) are such a blessing in my life. Swimming, biking, yoga, running, kettlebell workouts…they’re never a “chore” or something I feel forced to do. For example, when the day’s workout calls for running, nothing brings more joy than meeting hills, deep sand, obstacles, etc., and the reward of flow.

How did this happen?!?

Where did this “rose-colored glasses” outlook come from?

It definitely didn’t come from family. God bless them but for most things they see the cup half-empty.

No, it came from somewhere else. Somebody else.

When I was a teenager, he was a coach. That was easy to figure out. What’s difficult has been trying to define his coaching style which guides my running habits even to this day.

What was his method?

This has been hard to put into words because, like speaking or breathing, his approach to bringing out the best in his athletes has become second nature to me. I just never really thought about it until now.

In general, he helped his team build good habits. That was key. Do something over and over to the best of your ability, improvement naturally comes. No surprise there so, in this way, he was like any other coach.

But, through his consistent honoring of what I’ll call “foundation” and “philosophy,” he helped transform my mindset in such a way that running has always been a positive experience. There’s rarely any negativity.

Swimming: The Best Thing to Happen to My Running

Running has always been a part of my life.

As a kid, running was a by-product of endless hours of playing tag, Kick the Can, hide-and-seek, and Red Rover.

As an adult, it came from a desire to stay in shape and compete.

However, my one and only real experience with formal sports training didn’t come from doing cross country or track, it came from being a competitive swimmer.

I was a bit old when I joined. Almost 13. But, in spite of that, I quickly moved up to the second fastest group.

Woohoo! I was awesome!!!

Actually, not really.

The Mindset Muscle

If truth be told, these speedy improvements weren’t because of talent. Plop anyone into that particular pool with that particular team, and they would have seen similar results. This was because of what was expected from every swimmer at every practice. It didn’t matter if you were a beginner or someone who had been swimming for years, you were expected to be 100% present, both in body and mind, at all times. There were no ifs, ands, or buts.

Show up and give your best effort. Heck, might as well, being that you're already here and can't get out of it.

What this looked like for us was meeting from 5 to 7 pm every weekday to work on endurance and speed. Lap after lap, over the course of 2 hours and 5000 yards, we refined our strokes and technique.

Be it elbow position, eyebrow position, thumb position, flip turn timing, whether or not our heels were breaking the water’s surface, how often we breathed, pacing, etc., we always had something to focus and work on at all times.

So, if asked to do 5 x 200, it meant swim each 200 and work on ____ and ____, maybe even ____. There was no junk yardage. Everything was quality.

More importantly, “mindset” was in the unique position to be the one and only “muscle” that seldom got rest since our training entailed accepting that our job was never done. There was always something to learn, improve, or maintain.

And, knowing no different, we just naturally focused our minds — and every yard — on what was suggested that we work on. If good habits were already there, they were constantly being reinforced. If something needed to be learned, it was brought to our attention so that those skills could be worked on.

The mind was made to be in sync with the body. To notice things. To tweak.

Eventually, as happens with habits, some things didn’t have to be thought about so often. That was great because it freed us to…

…focus on something else.

That was our normal.

Moment of Truth

For some, this may sound a little unpleasant. I get that because, just as often as we hear about the benefits of exercise, we also hear about the work of exercise.

The work part is what we tend to be apprehensive about. We know we have to do it, but we try not to think about it. So, thank heaven for earphones, music, and the TV at the gym…they distract us for most of the time we’re there and they gets us through our obligation to exercise. We like the results, but not necessarily the work.

This is where I think we shortchange ourselves. We wear our headphones, do our obligatory 30 minutes, and move on. If we could, if there was a way to gain the same benefits during our sleep, so many of us would take that route. Just knock us out, plug us in, and tell us when it’s over.

The Opposite is True

Fortunately, the opposite is true. This is because, by allowing the mind to work in sync with the body, to not tune out, to learn to experience the intricate balance of each motion, each movement, and to make adjustments as needed, rhythm can be fostered and established.

A rhythm that lets you know that what you’re doing is working.

A rhythm that allows you to glimpse and even enter flow from time to time, the moving, breathing, and feeling that tells you that all is how it should be. Everything is working in concert and perfectly. It’s a feeling like no other.

But this is only possible through presence. The state where the mind trusts what the body is doing…what the body can do…and making adjustments when necessary.

Once you experience this flow, it’s like…it’s like one’s whole body is breathing, every cell is in sync with every other cell and working as one. It’s a little slice of heaven.

I wish everyone could feel this way and not perceive any aspect of running as some reincarnation of

For a nudge in that direction, here’s a little of what “foundation” and “philosophy” looks like.

Foundation’s Relationship to Good Running Habits

Foundation is personal acceptance and trust in a process.

For each of us, it’s accepting putting in the time and doing the best we can during each moment of this time. Not striving for perfection, but just doing our mortal best.

It’s trusting that challenge is good because, by pushing limits within our limits, it’s time that’s never wasted. Challenge is learning, growing, expanding, succeeding, failing, getting up and doing it again. It’s time always well spent and worthwhile. And PRing?…that’s just icing on the cake.

Most of all, it’s accepting where we are on this journey and trusting that if we show up, put in the time, have patience, and do our best, the rewards will naturally come.

Philosophy and Foundation Go Hand in Hand

Philosophy is the belief system that never let’s foundation get neglected.

It’s knowing that there is always something to work on, that we will never be done, and that’s okay.

It is, most importantly, accepting our limits and working within our limits. And, if we can do this without hesitation and/or doubt, we will avoid the two things that make any athletic endeavor unpleasant:

comparing ourselves to others because we become wise enough to know we are not our competition and,
if we ever get into the unwelcome position of being in “agony,” we are wise enough to know that something has to change because, just like we can’t get very far without breathing, progress cannot be made unless we learn how to navigate discomfort/pain. (This is, sometimes, rather easy.)

Summing Up

“Foundation” and “philosophy” are two sides of the same coin.

“Foundation” are all those elements that allow progress to happen. It’s the face of the coin.

On the flip side, “philosophy” is the belief system that never allows one to neglect foundation (i.e. progress). It’s kind of like the micromanager. 🙂

They work hand in hand. One cannot be present without the other when building good running habits, reaching goals, enjoyment, experiencing flow, or all of the above is the desired outcome.

Looking at it now, it’s all kind of Zen. No wonder it’s been so good.

For more on what “foundation” and “philosophy” looks like for me as a runner, this is a start.

Well, A & H, that’s all for now. Think I’ll take a break and look for my swimsuit. Doing all this writing about swimming has made me rather nostalgic for the water. It would be a nice change. Just wish the pool didn’t involve gym membership. I never seem to get out there on a regular basis so the cost of one swim comes to $19.99. Not really a great bargain. Guess there’s always the ocean…with its 55-degree water…Hmm, on second thought, it would be a shame to not explore that trail I found recently. ت Until my next letter…

Much love, O.M.