A Runner's State of Mind

99% of the time I find running to be a totally relaxing and meditative experience. However, there are those rare runs when it feels like my legs are a couple of boat anchors dragging along the bottom of the sea. It is that rare 1% that makes me most proud to be a runner.

Face it, not every day is peaches and cream, and the same goes for running. There will be those days when you run like the wind. Shoes barely touching the ground, legs strong and swift. Hardly an effort expended to create a forward momentum. Unfortunately, there will also be those days where getting going is an effort of monumental proportions. Legs stuck in first gear, feet weighted in blocks of cement. Don't fret though, even the the most efficient of runners have days like these, however the main difference between efficient runners and everybody else is the runner's state of mind.

When you are runner you don't get bogged down by the thought distance left, or how tired your legs are, or how hard you're breathing. A runner's state of mind thinks of nothing but getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. No hill too steep. No distance too great. A runner's state of mind is the remover of all obstacles, mental and physical.

Runners don't get hung up about not beating their best times, but instead about making it across the finish line. A runner will tell their mind I am running 10 miles come hell or high water, and you best believe that runner will finish those 10 miles come hell or high water. There is no quit in a runner's state of mind. There is absolutely no give up. There are only two lefts, a right, one more left, up a steep hill, down the backside, another right, and finish line.

If you are just starting out on trying to become more of a runner, just remember this...your running state of mind will either help or hinder you during a difficult run. Your running state of mind will either make you give up or push you through the finish line. Your running state of mind will either be a source of strength or your biggest weakness. Your running state of mind will compel you to finish. Cause isn't that really the point...to finish?