the value of consistency

“One who tiptoes does not stand,

One who strides does not walk…

Making it burn brighter does not help it to last longer…”

Tao Te Ching

The best runners are consistent animals. For me, it is an early pleasure – up before sunrise, coffee, some body movement, and then lace the shoes up and cast off on the day’s miles. There is a beauty to running at dawn that captivated me as an early runner. The crisp air, floating through the neighborhood while everyone slept, a certain appreciation for the still hours before the rush and responsibilities of the day set in… there is a quality of light at dawn that invigorates and awakens one’s nervous system… For the Navajo, those early pioneers of the distance game, running every day at sunrise was a sacred act – a form of prayer and meditation; an intention setting that was essential to bringing out one’s best self in the world… or maybe it’s a lunch time escape from the office or the pleasant light of sunset that speaks to you. Whatever the time, what counts is the consistency.

As runners, we get pulled in by the big dramatic stories – fantastic efforts that lead to a PR, the longest long run we have ever done, that time we really pushed the edge and did what before was considered impossible... But the real secret sauce of any great runner is the consistent, day in/day out mileage one accumulates. Slowly, steadily, in bite size chunks we digest the training and build our engine to be the best version of our running self we can be. Mix in good sleep, quality food and a focus on good personal relationships and you have the makings of not just a good running life but a great life. The key here is to understand the relationship between consistency and control. One learns to keep focused on the big picture and meter out their efforts today with an eye on tomorrow. Our daily runs should leave us refreshed, energized, relaxed and full of a feeling that we could run longer and faster tomorrow. Your work will be better, your personal relationships will be better and over time as the consistent efforts accumulate you will find yourself building the unbreakable form brick by brick.

Now, get out there and get after it!