List Crazy! The Lists YOU Should List.

It’s January, just after New Year’s.  Lists are everywhere. 10 foods you should eat to run faster.  7 foods you shouldn’t eat to lose weight.  5 marathons to run before you die.  12 core exercises to add to your weekly routine.  3 most common gym faux pas and how to avoid them.  Some lists are good, some lists are noise.  This is another list, but it’s not as specific as the others.  This is the list of lists runners should make.  Why?  Because it just might uncover some things that are really important, or fun, or just missing from your running life.

1. List your major body components and how you will keep them tuned. It’s easy for runners to just focus on their running plan, but forget about everything else in the body that can contribute to faster, injury free running.  Consider your core, your stabilizer muscles, your feet and arches, your arms, etc.
2. List your biggest sources of motivation and how you will keep them in mind throughout the year. This list could be one source long, or could be a big list of elites, friends, time goals, whatever.  Find places to stick these motivators to keep you going on tough days.
3. List the people you know that should be running or exercising more, then think about how to encourage them. Pay the benefits of running or being in shape forward.  Check out this great post by Matt (aka @luau) about his plan for getting more people running, then go find your people to get going.
4. List at least one thing that is outside of your comfort zone of last year to attempt this year. Come on, running is all about improving yourself…it could be a PR, a new distance, a new discipline (swim, bike, horse, whatever).
5. List at least one thing that you can make better by running. A lot of people raise money for charities, or coach at a local high school, or just take their kids out for jogs.  Not only can running be a positive in your life in 2010, but you can use it to make a positive impact for many others.

Got your lists listed?  Great…now get out for a run!

3 Responses to “List Crazy! The Lists YOU Should List.”

1. Making my list | Kathy Runs says:

   January 4, 2010 at 9:10 pm

   [...] I feel like he put this out there as an easy homework assignment. So here goes: Original post on RunTalkRadio List your major body components and how you will keep them [...]
2. simpsoka says:

   January 4, 2010 at 9:10 pm

   Great post, Caleb! Inspired me to make my list. Check it out: http://www.kathyruns.com/2010/01/making-my-list/
3. luau says:

   January 5, 2010 at 7:11 am

   Hey! Thanks for the shout out! I’m hoping to get 10 people to start running this year, and then get those 10 to get 10 more next year and so on! The more of us that motivate people to run (or do some form of sweating regularly), the faster we’ll get our country’s health back on track!

   Love listening to/watching you guys by the way!