The Art of Running a Good Race

I used to be really into running.

I ran all throughout middle school and high school, and had the opportunity to join my college’s Division I team my sophomore year. Unfortunately, timing was not on my side during that season of life, so I wasn’t able to fully execute my running dreams.

But I spent a lot of time reading about running and learning about the mechanics of the human body. I was performance-oriented. It didn’t matter how well I performed in practice. If I didn’t hit the marks on my races, none of the workouts mattered.

Looking back, I can’t believe how hyperfocused I was. A bad race could shake me to the core, and I would often destroy myself before I even got to the starting line. I’ve evolved wholly and completely since then, and am less ruffled by pretty much everything. Yoga and a solid weightlifting routine have centered me (and also shrinking my ego a bit).

I stumbled upon my old running notebook on my trip home for the holidays. And there was a quite a bit of good advice in there, gleaned primarily from Chi Running. And who would I be if I didn’t share good advice from 15-year old me and an excellent book? The green is my 15-year old running-self, the blue is my current interpretation.