I was recently invited by a good friend to join them & their family for dinner, and to chat running with their daughter who’s rising up the ranks at the high school level. 

I LOVE ❤️ to talk running & the opportunity to share some of my advice & tips to a young developing runner was a fabulous occasion to condense some of my thoughts, approaches and philosophies on running & get them “on the page”. 

😊 So here you go…

#1 You have time. You don’t need to rush to get to some “level” or PR. Take the long approach to your development as a runner/athlete/person. You’re not training for a race 2-3 months from now, as much as you’re training for a race 2-3 years from now (and longer).

#2 Consistency is the key. Volume (weekly miles & long runs) will come & you’ll develop that gradually over the years. Consistent running, day in & day out, is the way to improvement. And to stay consistent, you need to stay healthy. Your overall health is essential to a consistent practice.  

#3 Run with Joy. Even more important than consistency is joy! Relish the joy of practice. When you establish joy as the baseline of your running, you’ll enjoy it more & also tend to run better too! 

#4 Don’t race for time. Fast times & PRs will come naturally. Instead, hone your skills & strategies as a racer. As you learn how to compete, and race, you’ll find yourself running times you could scarcely imagine. 

#5 Don’t have a good relationship with your coach, have a Great relationship. At the end of the day you’ve got to be able to communicate well with your coach, and be able to listen deeply to what they have to teach. You both also need to be on the same page as to what your goals are & how you’re feeling about the training load, going into a race, etc. Like many things in life, communication is SO important.  

#6  Train hard, rest harder. In most cases, the issue isn’t that you’re not training hard enough, it’s that you’re under-recovering. It’s about finding ways to train smarter, not always harder. Essentially, like a good race, you’re trying to expend the least amount of effort possible to get to the same place.

#7 You don’t need to get an A+ on every workout. You don’t need to ace every session or be perfect. Delivery a solid, consistent effort. Don’t overextend. Most of the time, B’s or even C’s will do just fine.

#8 Be gentle with yourself! Enjoy the simplicity of running, be grateful for movement, your body & your surroundings. You don’t need to prove anything or achieve some level of success. You have already succeeded. Enjoy running with your teammates & the experience of the team.

Realize & be mindful that your body is a wonder & that running is a wonder as well. 

Until next time friends, 

–Dayne-o