The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer

Sure, there will be breakthrough moments that leave us hungry for more—but most of the time, progress in running (like in life) is slow and we learn to embrace and look forward to the process rather than the outcome. It may take a while to learn that lesson, but when we “get it,” everything in life levels up.

“Experience has taught me how important it is to just keep going, focusing on running fast and relaxed. Eventually pain passes and the flow returns. It’s part of racing.” – Frank Shorter

Something wonderful will happen when you relax, harness your dogged competitive intensity and work ethic, honor your inner voice, and respect the scientifically validated principles of successful endurance training: You will get faster! It’s hard to say it any more plainly than that. The path to going faster requires that you balance out and chill

“I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.”

Dean Karnazes

If you run, you already have a deeper connection with yourself – a deeper connection with the world – than those who don’t. You have already experienced moments of utter childish, joy-evoking freedom, moving forwards powered only by the gifts that nature has given you. In those moments, you have been stripped back. Away from a constant connection t