The daily run is more therapeutic than lying on the analyst’s couch.
If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live? Life is filled with challenges and adversity. My life was filled with experiences as a teenager that had taught me how to suffer. Turns out, that taught me how to be a good athlete. You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have. Pain only hurts. The more you know, the less you need. Running is an adventure in minimalism and finding your own strength, both mentally and physically. To do it in nature, adds a third dimension to make it a complete mind, body, soul adventure. To hike in nature with a friend or loved one, adds an even fourth dimension of connection with others, but sometimes solitude adds its own medicinal powers in clearing the mind of stress and problems of the world, as these things fade away. New habits can be made in this vacuum of thought.
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will. You only ever grow as a human being, if you’re outside your comfort zone. In the face of adversity, you want to do something, move forward, not backwards. Running books are filled with all kinds of quotes on the zen of life. If you never do more than you are doing now, you will never become more than you are now.
During what period of your life did you feel the best and why? When I was in college and law school, even though I was working 60 hours a week plus full time school during the days, I did something outside or very active, every day for over 45 minutes—running, rollerblading, two-man volleyball, mountain biking, hockey, rock climbing, mountaineering, camping, fishing, you name it. And, I felt great and I was was crossfit. I’m now returning to that period of time in my life with the same types of activities, including climbing, fly fishing mountain rivers, together with daily running or hiking. According to a recent study, performing wall squats (isometric exercise) was most effective for reducing systolic pressure, and running (aerobic exercise) was most beneficial for decreasing diastolic pressure, but isometric exercise overall was best for lowering both pressure elements. And, I feel a euphoric tranquility taking hold again each day from the exercise. A little running adventure into the woods nearby each evening has on me that high each night and the next day. Only by living in a vacuum of what had become the norm, does your life have room for big changes, where new habits are replacing old ones. This is the reason why retreats are so popular, it creates a vacuum from your everyday life and allows you to think and plan a return to a better place in time, replacing old habits with new ones. A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. Others explain this as, live in the now, creating a sense of wow.
One study showed that East African children who had used running as a means of transport to school had a maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) some 30 percent higher than those who had not, therefore implicating distance traveled to school as one of the determinants of East African running success.
DIET OF KIPCHOGE
I EAT NORMAL FOOD, NORMAL Kenyan FOOD. i EAT BEEF AND UGALI (A TRADITIONAL PORRIDGE MADE FROM MAIZE OR CORNMEAL) IN THE EVENEING. lunchtime, I JUST TAKE BEANS AND POTATOES AND RICE, AND I’ll TAKE BREAD AND TEA WITH THREE TEASPOONS OF SUGAR IN THE MORNING. IT IS SIMPLE, BUT A WELL-BALACED DIET.
OTHER TIPS
Speaking about the topic of running during the 2020 Covid Crisis, “People turn to this sport in particular in times of economic downturns and crises,” said Rich Harshbarger, chief executive of Running USA, an industry trade group. “We saw this in the late 2000’s. People gave up their country club memberships and returned to simpler sports like running. You saw a downturn in golf, you saw a downturn in skiing — things that are more expensive. Runners turned to the sport, or returned to the sport, to relieve stress. And, to get and remain healthy.”
Don’t think of it as running, think of it as slow jogging. Running releases endorphins, the chemicals in the brain that make you feel happy; this is how the expression “runner’s high” came about. You can go from feeling fatigued and devoid of energy to excited and energized with a 20-minute run. The daily run is more therapeutic than lying on the analyst’s couch, it is said.
Some shoes are all you need and some don’t even wear those. While marketing folks would have you believe that might not beat Eliud’s marathon time if you don’t have the new carbon Nike ZoomX’s, but running is perfect for minimalists looking for something to do, with just something like the New Balance Minimis running shoes. Running is a nearly free activity that offers great returns on your physical and mental health. If you are a maximalist in life and think running is tough on your joints, then you can try on some Hoka One One Bondi’s and get moving on your new moonboots. Or if trail or dirt road running is your thing, try some Sauchony Peregrine 10’s, perfect for clamoring across the rocks. Or just run barefoot or with sandals like the indigenous winners of some marathons recently. Rocky brand combat boots are another popular choice of those having served. It’s not about the equipment in this adventure. I know many who can beat me by a country mile in Goodwill finds.
https://www.nike.com/t/zoomx-vaporfly-next-running-shoe-Sf9zRb/AO4568-600
Here are the minimum Air Force PT requirements for males and females in different age groups, which is what I like to measure success by:
| Abdominal Circumference (Inches) | 1.5-Mile Run (Minutes:Seconds) | # of Push-Ups in 1 Minute | # of Sit-Ups in 1 Minute | |
| Males | ||||
| <30 years old | ≤39 | ≤13:36 | ≥33 | ≥42 |
| 30-39 years old | ≤39 | ≤14:00 | ≥27 | ≥39 |
| 40-49 years old | ≤39 | ≤14:52 | ≥21 | ≥34 |
| 50-59 years old | ≤39 | ≤16:22 | ≥15 | ≥28 |
| 60+ years old | ≤39 | ≤18:14 | ≥14 | ≥22 |
| Females | ||||
| <30 years old | ≤35.5 | ≤16:22 | ≥18 | ≥38 |
| 30-39 years old | ≤35.5 | ≤16:57 | ≥14 | ≥29 |
| 40-49 years old | ≤35.5 | ≤18:14 | ≥11 | ≥24 |
| 50-59 years old | ≤35.5 | ≤19:43 | ≥9 | ≥20 |
| 60+ years old | ≤35.5 | ≤22:28 | ≥7 | ≥11 |
Two of my favorite books are:
Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet Book by Jesse Itzler
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds Book by David Goggins
Run with smile. Midfoot strike.
To endure is the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop. What is crucial is the need to override what your instincts are telling you to do and the sense of elapsed time. Taking a punch without flinching requires self control, but endurance implies something much more sustained.
“Comparing 2020 with the prior higher year of 2018, in most of the places where we have pulled our counters, we’re seeing in excess of a 20% increase in hiking use across the board,” said Lloyd Athearn, executive director of the CFI. “I think we will see our first year that is over 400,000.”
