I’ve decided to close out this year and celebrate the holidays by doing a daily series of short blogs, one for every letter of the alphabet. Most probably will be about running, but others maybe not so much. Here goes:

A is for awareness.

As you run, be aware of your body moving through space. Don’t worry about speed. Just notice how everything works together—your eyes, arms, legs, and so on.

Be aware of your surroundings. Look around you from time to time. Who or what is ahead of you? Who or what is behind you? If you’re in a park, spare an occasional glance at birds, squirrels, and so on. On the street, notice traffic (of course), delivery trucks, whatever. Even if you’re on the treadmill (urgh!), remember to carefully glance around you.

And be aware of how you’re feeling as you run. If you’re feeling good and everything’s in sync, enjoy yourself! But we all occasionally go through times when we don’t have enough energy, we can’t seem to get coordinated, whatever.

Don’t beat yourself up about a less-than-good run! Instead, treat it as a learning experience. Try to be aware of what isn’t working right and make a mental note of it. When you get home, review everything and figure out how you can do better next time.

Please feel free to send me any questions you might have. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
AND if you don’t want to miss my next blog on how to get fit and stay happily fit, sign up on my mailing list to get it by e-mail the moment I publish it.

Meanwhile, happy running!