The Friday Running Blog:
Coach Nick;
6/26/2026
Remembering to be Thankful to Those that Inspire Me.
Having Good Role Models is important for Staying Inspired. They can help us Remember Our Ideals. They can give us a positive outlook on things, which can be particularly helpful on those days when; “I’m really not feeling this.”
I highly recommend choosing some good role models from the community. A variety of people. Some may be popular or not, some may be in your household, some may be a random dude who was nice to you when he didn’t have to be. The point is; If you find yourself respecting something about them, then maybe they are worth looking up to.
Good people occasionally inspire us. When we make the Conscious Effort to Choose Our Role Models; We can use their Inspiration on a Regular Basis instead. We can pin up a list of their names with Our Goals. This list can remind us of what we respect about what they do. We can make an effort to tune in to the things they are doing.
I want to give a special shot out to This Messy Happy. I encourage you to go check out their UTube Channel. They are Running Coaches that Teach and Inspire an entire community. They are Good Role Models for encouraging Healthy Lifestyles and Healthy Attitudes around training. There are days when I’m feeling down, and a 10 minute video of theirs, reminds me how good it feels to take care of myself. I head out for my run with a fresh outlook, and never look back.
6/19/2026
Big Goals Help Us Choose Our Habits, Small Goals Motivate Us to Do those Habits Today.
We tend to think of big goals as being big motivators. And while they can be the kick in the butt that we need, big goals only motivate us for a short time, and only when we’re being inspired by something around us. The reality is; we don’t always find our surroundings inspiring. Inspirations Come and Go Unpredictably. Inspiration can be Rare and Unreliable as a source of sustaining lifelong habits.
Motivation is Not a permanent state of being. Big goals only motivate us when we set them, or when we are reminded of their importance. We might not be reminded often enough to stay involved.
Big Goals are; Us Choosing Who We Want To Be. The Purpose of having big goals; is to Align Our Habits with Who We Want to Be. Big Goals give us a Reason to Choose a Habit. The reason is; “I want to be; blank … ,And, So I want to live this way to be that.”
Big goals take a long time to reach. Unfortunately this is not good for our Daily Motivation. It feels like “I’m not getting anywhere.” Progress is slow, and it is Discouraging to Feel this way. Big Goals are not achieved on a regular basis, and are not updated on a regular basis. We can forget to maintain them at all. We can lose sight of them. Time passes and we find ourselves asking, “What happened to my goal? I was Inspired and Motivated to do this, and somehow I stopped.”
Healthy Habits Require Small Goals to Generate a Reliable Source of Motivation.
It’s the Small Goals that are Routinely Achieved and Routinely Updated. These are the goals that are maintained on a regular basis. These are the goals that Generate Inspiration on a Regular Basis. They Inspire us because we Commonly Experience Being Successful at; Reaching the things That We are Reaching For.
Small Goals are Fresh, they are Currently Important in Our Minds. When we have up to date, small goals, we are not waiting around for some Outside Source to Influence us. Small goals can be adjusted Up AND Down to fit with our ever changing lives, week after week. For a Lifetime.
Small Goals give us the motivation to Do The Habit TODAY. In a way that is Healthy for Our Bodies TODAY. Small Goals will do that again tomorrow and the next day…
6/12/2026
Maintaining Healthy Habits, Requires Maintaining Up to Date Goals.
Something strange can happen when we reach a specific running goal time or goal distance. We find that we start to lose our healthy habit of going running. This is an ironic detail about Sports Psychology. A detail that’s important to learn about, if we want to Maintain Healthy Lifelong Habits.
One thing that happens when we reach for a specific time or distance goal, is that we get in the specific habit of reaching for that specific goal.
So our habit isn’t just to; ‘go run’, It’s to; ‘go work on our specific running goals.’
Then when we reach the goal, the running habit loses its exact purpose. Sometimes weeks after reaching a goal we realize we haven’t been running much. “Wait, What happened, I thought that I had a good resilient habit of ‘go run.’ Why don’t I Feel Motivated?”
It can be difficult to see that the real habit was; ‘go work on our specific running goals.’ It can be difficult to see that we’ve lost the goal by reaching it. That we don’t actually have a goal Now. We’ve lost having a desired destination. And by losing having a desired destination, we’ve lost our ability to choose a path to get there. We don’t realize that we’re lost because we were so comfortable knowing our goals were in order. It became a way of life. but Now it’s time to update things.
Establishing New Helpful Goals should be done soon after we reach our previous goals. Yes, take a couple days to focus on feeling accomplished, to feel pride in what we’ve done. And then; Establish New Goals to Focus On. Give ourselves the specific motivation needed to strengthen our healthy habits. Let’s not get thrown off by this strange detail of sports psychology, let’s just keep our goals up to date instead. Let’s keep our healthy habits that we’ve worked to establish.
6/5/2026
Running the Newport Marathon was a Healthy and Positive Experience for my Body and Soul.
The run felt very successful for me. I tried to run the entire thing, but wasn’t quite able to. I ran 22 miles, then walked ~3 miles, then ran the last 1 mile. I am proud of this distance, my previous longest run was 21.2 miles. Making it this far feels like a great next step in my progression. I was able to cut about 26 minutes off of my Personal Record from 2 years ago when I did this race (my only other time doing a marathon).
I went at a bit of a faster pace than I had planned. Which did make it more difficult than it needed to be. I think I underestimated how much the crowd can amp me up. In the future I’ll have to focus, and remind myself to keep my pace under control when people are cheering. Overall I feel like I did a good job backing off of the pace after noticing I was overdoing it.
I understood My Limits. I understood when my body had done all it could. I understood when my body had Reached the Limits of What I had Trained For. I knew when to walk. I wanted to keep running, and get a better time. But more than that, I wanted to do what was Safe for my body's current abilities. I feel that my training calibrated me well to know what that feels like.
I remembered that I was not obligated to reach any certain times. That I was here to try my best, and that includes doing my best at taking care of myself.
I remembered to run my own race. Not to try to judge where I should be in the pack.
I found peace in the difficult moments, by reminding myself of those I inspire.
I found inspiration in the people around me, reaching for their goals.
I left it all on the road, without hurting myself.
I took 2 days after the race to go on walks instead of runs, and then I was back to running. My body feels amazing. No strain in the joints. No strains in the ligaments. No strains in the muscles. Just sore muscles. The kind of sore like I just got the best workout of my life, and I’m ready to keep training.
Because of my healthy running form and process, The Newport Marathon was an experience that helped build me up, not break me down. I cherish the experience, and my body and soul thank me for my approach to Success in Running.
5/29/2026
Reminding myself what ‘Running Success is For Me’, helps Keep me Safe From Injury during the Marathon.
Having a Goal Distance and Goal Time; help me keep my training calibrated for these goals.
Goals also keep me motivated to improve gradually.
While having these running goals are important for the process, They are NOT the metrics of Running Success for Me. “Push yourself to reach your goals,” must be done With Caution. It is not worth getting a Personal Best if that means getting an Injury Too. Think ‘Big Picture,’ I want to be able to run later this week, to keep my routine strong, to keep the habit relevant in my life. To continue from where I am, Instead of potentially taking a major step back.
Stress Injuries Caused by the ‘Push Yourself’ Mentality, can last months or years. So it is No Joke. While many consider the ‘Pushing’ to be the successful strategy, it is critical not to push beyond what the body is ready for Today. On race day I must listen to my body, just like I do on training days. I must keep myself safe from injury, just like I do on training days.
Success on Race day Is;
Trying to go the Full Distance
Trying to go for the Time I Think I can get
Backing off of these goals if I need to, to keep myself safe. Only I can judge the limits of my body today.
Remembering that I am Not Obligated to reach a certain distance or time because; I thought I could, or told someone I could, or because I paid the race fees and want to get what I paid for.
Not changing speed because of my judgments of those around me. “They look like they should be slower than me, so I’ll go faster.” That is not the logic of success. That is not the Positive Thinking Needed to Move Forward.
Success for me on Race Day is not much different than success for me on any other day. The only difference is that I don’t try to save any energy for the coming days. I leave it all on the road, knowing that I will take 2 or 3 days of walks instead of runs.
Ultimately; Running the Marathon should be Healthy for my Body, Not Detrimental to it. Run in a way that Honors this Virtuous Process. Running Success for Me is; Doing what’s Right for my Body and Soul Today, race day or not. This is the success that makes me Proud.
5/22/2026
A part of the Story of How my wife’s running inspires others (and herself);
My wife was walking along, getting her legs warmed up for her run. An average day for her at this point. You see, she’s on an incredible running streak of well over 300days in a row at this point.
Then a neighbor unexpectedly stopped her to say how they had started a running routine because they were inspired by seeing her running every day. This is a great thing that happened for the neighbor, as she quite literally changed the way she’s living her life. And it’s a great thing for my wife, as she got to see a peak at how the community is affected by her actions. Her healthy habits are influencing others.
A big part of her original motivation to run and stick with it; was to be a good example to our daughter. To be a good role model. To be an influence on her as she grows and makes her own health choices and routines in life. This drive to inspire has been key to her own motivation as a runner. The motivation goes both ways.
On days that she’s feeling less motivated, I sometimes remind her that she never knows who she might inspire. We won't often get feedback, but someone might notice what we are doing, and it might just be what they need to unlock the feeling of; “I Can Do This Too.” It can be just the confidence needed to get out of the door.
Today is Day352 of her running streak. This is possible because of her dedication and her motivations. This is possible because of her consistent good running form, using the technique of running on her forefoot, not letting her heels touch down, and cadence of 180 steps per minute. This is possible because she listens to her body, and when she needs recovery, she runs a mile, and she embraces walking as necessary to keep her heart rate low. She embraces the easy run. Not everyone needs to, or wants to run 7days a week, but if you want to, it is possible, with the right reasons, form, foundation, and patience.
Let’s cheer her on as she goes for a year straight of running. Woooo, You Got This!
5/15/2026
Walking is the Foundation for Running.
Healthy Routines are built by putting our Time and Attention towards those routines. Every Day. That is how Healthy Habits work in our lives. But there’s a problem. Beginner runners can’t run every day. Even many advanced runners don’t run 7days a week. The truth is; when we first start a running routine, we find that we can’t do much. We tend to struggle for a few minutes of exercise. We struggle through those workouts a few times a week, whatever we can fit into our schedule. In total, it doesn’t add up to much. Our lack of involvement in it makes us forget our goals. The importance of our fitness dreams fade away.
Walking is something that we can do every day. Walking is accessible to us if we are too unfit to run, and it can start our fitness foundation. Walking is accessible to us when our muscles and tendons are healing from our last run. Walking is accessible to us when our heart rate needs an opportunity to recover from running, and then we can run a little more. It’s a daily opportunity for us to practice getting our bodies outside to move. It becomes an opportunity to practice mindfulness in keeping our feet and knees straight in line with our direction of movement. To practice calmly breathing through the nose. To notice our heart rate changing.
A trip to the store can be adjusted so that we walk instead of drive, or park our car across the parking lot. A dreary winter day can become a chance to see the beauty of nature, and keep us inspired to keep going out. A bout of cabin fever can be eliminated or at least eased, to put us in a fresh healthy mindset. We can invite a friend (shocker; more people are likely to join you for a walk than a run.)
Walking can allow us to get enough time exercising so that we can solidify an exercise lifestyle. It can give us the necessary incremental step, between sitting on our butts and running. It can be our easy workout that we can seamlessly fit into our day, no special gear required. It can be just the warm up our muscles need, so that we can stretch and refresh. We must learn to walk, to learn how to run.
5/8/2026
The Hardest part about Going Running, isn’t Running, it’s Going.
It’s critically important to learn this about ourselves. We can talk all day about running mechanics, but if we don’t get out the door, we wont be running.
We fear the difficulties. We fear not being at the level we think we should be at, and what that might look like to others. We think the weather wont be comfortable enough, and on and on…
Good news; The fact is; it does not take long to change clothes, put on shoes, and head out the door.
If we are Fully Aware that; Going out the door doesn’t take long, and that our Biggest Struggle is the Mental Struggle of the ‘Going.” Then we can push through this tough part. We can push through the rationalizing. If we have a previously established habit of not going running; we can push through that too.
If we can push ourselves to get out the door, we can run. And contrary to popular belief; the running part, really is not about pushing yourself hard. It’s about Remaining Consistent with the Habit of Going out to run, and making Tiny Incremental Increases to training time/ distance.
Sure, the running part can be hard too. There are a lot of physical adjustments at first that can be uncomfortable. And at any level of fitness, there will be some days that really just don’t feel great. Knowing that some days are tough is important, so that we don’t let them discourage us. We can walk when we need to. We can rest, we can stop when we’ve reached the limit of our body for today. Also remembering that every day will feel different, regardless of exactly how you are progressing overall. We can take pride in ‘the Going,” even if today’s running didn’t go well.
Going wont always be a challenge. As you develop the habit of running within your life, your confidence and comfortability with the process will improve. You will experience many days where you feel motivated to get out there and explore. You will develop a Desire to Go. Yes you will actually develop a desire to go running. Healthy Habits feel good for the mind, body and soul. So over time, our resistance goes away, and is replaced by satisfaction in the process. But there will still be the tough days that sneak in. And it’s those days that we remind ourselves, “This is the tough bit, I can push through this, I can seize the day.” It’s this process that keeps the habit alive and healthy.
5/1/2026
Transitioning to a ‘Forefoot Running Style,’ is a gradual process. And I mean extremely gradual. There are no short cuts here. The muscles and tendons are being used in a new way that the body is not used to. It’s plyometrics. It’s using the tendons and muscles as springs. It takes time to adjust.
How gradual? How much time? You will likely only be able to run about 10% of the distance you’re used to running with the ‘common running style,’ (in which the entire foot touches down). It will likely take months to get back up to that volume of running. But when you do get back up to those distances, your overall form and strength will be far superior. And throughout the entire process, you will be far less susceptible to injury. (note: you don’t need to have a pre-established distance with the ‘common running style,’ if you’re starting from scratch/ ‘couch potato’, you can do a few intervals of less than a minute.)
The gradual nature of this transition, is what helps it become a way of life. Since there’s no shortcuts, there’s only healthy routines. These healthy routines can build upon each other.
The truth is, it requires a lot of faith in the process. We’re all for ‘Couch potato to Marathon.’ ( or wherever you’re starting from, and wherever you’re heading to). But you can’t predict where you’ll be by race day, nor can you predict exactly what times you will accomplish as you progress. It’s much safer for the body to let it take as long as it takes to get there. Goal times and race dates are important if you want them, but never at the cost of going beyond what the body is capable of; Today. What your body is capable of; is different every day. Whether you are gradually getting healthier, or gradually getting less healthy, your abilities will vary from day to day. Learning to listen to what your body is capable of today is crucial for a healthy, injury free running experience.