Setting yourself with the goal of running non-stop over whatever distance you feel suitably challenges you is a good way to start.
You could be running to the end of the street,
Once around your local park,
Or even a distance of several kilometers or more.
Whatever distance you choose,
Build up gradually and reward yourself when you reach your target and then set another one.
Remember to smile.
As you gain continuity in your run,
Your running will improve as your body adapts to the consistent training stimulus.
You could have a goal of a local fun run or a mass participation 5k or 10k or maybe even an unusual race over a non-standard distance.
As you run,
You'll notice that like in meditation,
When you reach a certain threshold,
Your body will be encountering a runner's hide.
Feel into that.
You are stronger than the distracting thoughts.
Remember that it's just a thought generated by a physical sensation that catapults into a feeling.
Here's a new thought.
You've got this.
You can do so much more than you're doing.
If you were setting yourself up for success,
You are doing great.
What do you know?
Do you know what the fastest animal in the world is?
It's the cheetah.
The cheetah moves as a spotted feline with pace.
It yields only to the sun's tangerine gaze and within the fields of grace,
It moves waltzing through wheat fields.
The rhythmic fumbling of paws through grass with undivided focus so clear,
Every step as fragile as a glass.
Hairless to the deer.
It flies through air in colossal strides.
It claws down its goal.
It's perfected anatomy.
The rule of nature,
Never having been fair,
Is perfected in the cheetah knowing that the key is survival and the deer knows its fatal fate as nature's gift to the cheetah's plate.
I like to watch the cheetah as it begins to chase hunting for food and prey.
Gathering speed,
The hunt begins.
The cheetah,
Winning,
Nothing can outpace.
Its speed is renowned as the fastest cat alive.
It catches,
It brings down a hunter of the wild as fast as fast can be,
A proper born survivor.
It is running free from the wild.
Personally,
I also like to think of the gazelle.
A quote by Christopher McDougall,
The author of Born to Run,
A hidden tribe,
Super athletes and the greatest race the world has never seen says,
Every morning in Africa,
A gazelle wakes up,
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa,
A lion wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve.
Doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up,
You'd better be running.
And remember to smile.
Notice your surroundings.
Feel the sweat perhaps on your body,
Hips,
Forehead,
Shoulders.
Losing past old energy,
Losing weight.
Perhaps you're running for charity and or your personal best.
Be conscious,
Mindful.
Stay conscious.
This will prevent the risk of injury.
So perform at your very best.
You look great.
Just focus on how you feel.
Breathe in and out as relaxed as you can.
Remind yourself that you don't have to do this.
And this is easy.
You have so got this.
When a runner sets out to accomplish a goal,
Their body is their predominant tool.
Their mind then must be focused on using it.
The result is zen.
Harmony between the cognitive mind and physical body,
A rhythm that is constantly evolving with each and every training experience.
Remember that it doesn't matter what the weather is if you're exercising.
Visualize finishing strong and remember to smile.
Imagine the landmarks ahead of you.
One landmark tomorrow that you may see.
Imagine flying past your goal.
Smiling to yourself that you are there doing it.
Picture family members and loved ones cheering for you.
You are pressure.
Picture monuments far,
Far away.
Picture the markers of several miles ahead of you.
As if you are there,
As if you are transplanted.
And if you're having a tough time,
A moment where you are really struggling and the voices in your head are loud,
And then you see yourself getting through.
You think,
Okay,
That's over.
Good job.
You made it through that part.
I feel good again now.
Stay in the present.
Actually,
Let's upgrade that statement together.
Okay,
That's over.
Great job.
You made it through that part.
I feel great again.
The author of Good to Great by author Jim Collins says that good is the enemy of great.
And if you're going to strive to be good,
Good luck.
If you strive to be great,
It might be hard,
But think of how you would feel when you've surpassed great.
What even is that?
What would that be like?
Zoom out 300 meters high.
Watch yourself.
See yourself zip around the corner to a finish line miles and miles ahead.
Feel that ginormous ear to ear grin on your face as you realize how fast you have run.
You're flying by,
You're zipping by.
You are a near ghost apparition.
You have quantum collapse,
Time and space,
As though you are running but not moving,
But everywhere all at once.
I invite you to,
Instead of looking at your racing watch or your phone,
Tune into your breath and tune into how you feel.
As long as you're breathing consistently,
Taking the biggest inhales that you can comfortably and taking the biggest exhales that you can comfortably,
You are doing great.
Because you're not just doing,
You are being.
You are so naturally it.
You aren't just great for a moment or a few minutes,
You are yourself great.
Feeling focused,
Aligned,
In control,
In your lane,
Decisive,
On top of things.
On the right path,
Concise,
Succinct.
You have faith,
You feel alive and energized,
Refreshed,
Joyous,
A light being.
Tuning into the pressure of your shoes,
Meeting the ground,
Arching like a gazelle,
Like a cheetah.
Visualizing yourself as the fastest being on the planet,
In your class,
In your species,
In yourself.
There is no comparison.
It's all you.
I don't encourage you to compare.
Your worth is intrinsic to yourself and you don't need anyone else around you to feel great,
To be great.
Be dead of being interesting or being a winner or being in the light.
Be interested.
Ask questions,
Be curious,
Stay humble,
Continue to learn.
Believe me when I say you'll win.
When you're open and receptive.
Tuning into your body,
You feel like this means you feel like a feather,
You feel like your heart is as light as a feather.
You were born to learn.
Your mind was born to lift against all odds.
You can stop if you want to,
But you know you don't have to.
You can keep going as long as you like,
Continuously at a pace that you like.
Don't think about anyone else,
Don't look at anyone else.
It's all you.
It's all you and your potential.
Imagine embracing your family and friends.
Seeing their smiling and cheering,
Emotionally uplifted faces as they embrace you.
Imagine receiving awards.
Not based on what you do or what you accomplish.
You're receiving awards based on who you are.
Being kind,
Being peaceful,
Being happy,
Being yourself.
Imagine getting in that bathtub later or even getting in your car later.
Maybe you're feeling a little stiff,
A little sore,
But you're smiling because it was worth it.
There's no challenge too great for you.
You are born to win,
Born to succeed.
And you know that when I say those words,
Succeeding means being yourself.
Winning means opening your heart.
If you're not smiling,
You've been tuning out.
How far you have come.
How long your journey has been.
Now whether you continue on without my guidance,
Without my voice,
I hope you've learned something today about yourself,
About how to see people,
About judgement,
About winning and losing and concepts like that that don't exist except in your mind.
Any pain.
It's really truly real.
It's just a thought.
And it triggers an emotion.
Lots of opportunity to disrupt that thought and say,
No,
I actually feel great.
I actually feel amazing.
I actually am on top of the world.
I'm actually winning in my own right,
In my own one.
I'm actually singing my voice.
Enjoy your day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
