Value. I’m always wondering what I’m worth. I know I have value. But I’m always looking at what added value I bring to my brood, my friends, and society. Being physically unfit creates so many problems with regards to emotional and spiritual well-being for me and them.

Run. This is something I do. 37 years from the day I first picked it up, I’m still doing it. Running. Why do I run. That’s hard to say. It’s like a drug that you start and becomes habit. But in this case it’s a good drug. It helps me work out the kinks in my mind. Bad day, run. Good day, run. Really freaking horrible day, run…See a pattern here?

Some people tell me that they hate to run. This doesn’t surprise me. I don’t like to jump rope but that doesn’t mean I don’t jump. If we’re always focused on doing the things we’re good at, then how can we be good at other things?

Let’s not get into the discussion of being mediocre in lots of things. That’s a philosophical value judgment being placed on something that has real utility. I work at running, even if there’s a day I detest doing it, because it truly is an exercise medicine. What is worse is being a slob at my desk. So I ditch the bad attitude regardless of what routine or type of sport I’m doing. I look inwardly and get some rewards of the spirit, heart, lungs and legs. Running mountains has helped me build good hip and lower leg strength over the decades.

Let’s make it simple.

• Running makes you happier in the long run. You might not feel happy while you’re running, but overall your anxiety and stress in life is lowered.
• Running strengthens your joints. And strengthens your bones better than other aerobic activities.
• It’s good for weight loss. It’s a good opportunity to spend a little time with yourself. Work out the kinks in your thinking. It’s a chance for you to develop an increased self-awareness.
• I run because it makes me aware of the subtle things in my life, that I generally miss when I’m not running, and therefore it lets me sense the nuances in my thinking. It helps me get focused when I’ve lost focus. I get out of the city, or sometimes I run into the city and come back a different man.

This video covers the intense emotion I feel when I run. Running can save a damaged mind.

How do I start? Rituals. I set in place a long time ago that I would do a long run on my birthday, on the first snowfall, on the first rain fall, I run in every country I visit, and run in every city I visit. These are rituals that act as promptings to me that each upcoming month has events stacked up that I will need to accomplish.

I have different goals depending on my time available and what needs to be accomplished for work, however I never let myself get so far away from good to peak performance.

Go to your local middle-school, high school or base track/football/soccer field.

Run 5-6 miles easy. Every 1/8 of a mile do 5 dead-hang pull ups by hanging from the goal-posts. Quality is key. No slop for me. Do them properly. Add 10-20 push ups as well. When you finish you’ll have a decent number accomplished.

Finish with a good stretch. Next time we’ll over some sprint work.