Running...A Way of Life

It's hard to capture in words; it’s intensely personal.
It's the most beneficial habit forming activity ever invented.
Oxygen...it's greatest antidepressant drug ever invented.
Running makes us better people.
It's the best time to think.
It's a way to connect with others.
Running helps us grow even if we're “full grown.” ...Is anybody ever full grown?
Running is health promoting ... happiness promoting.
It's an education about yourself.
Over time, it's being able to do something you never thought you could do.
It gives us back more than we put into it.
It gives us fresh air and a fresh outlook every day.
It's much more than an activity; it's a passion; an emotional compass.
"I feel more alive when I'm running!"
"I know I'm doing something good for myself when I'm running."
... Only other runners would understand.
It's like flying without wings.

~Coach John Tucker, YourTime+ Founder

The Competition Thing

Life is competition.
We compete for stuff: attention, respect, grades ... to survive.
Competition makes us try harder. It makes us stronger.
Races, in part, are competitions to see who finishes first, but they’re much more.
They’re opportunities to learn...
To see if we have gotten stronger...
To see how effective our training has been...
To see if we've run better than ever before.
A few do, in fact, compete with each other, but we all compete with a single person: ourselves.
Our negative selves. The self that whispers “you can’t do that, you’re too old, they are so much better."
We win that competition when we just put on those shoes and take that first stride in the morning...
When we don’t listen to that negative self ...when we do just a little bit better than we did the last time.
When we see that everybody else is just doing the same thing and we can actually motivate and help each other succeed, we see a much more productive and positive picture. We see this marvelous adventure for what it is:
Running isn't about being better than others.
It's about being better!

~Coach John Tucker, YourTime+ Founder