I am not a Zen runner, nor really a follower of anything Zen. Except for a blog called Zen Habits. Leo, the blogger, provides some great ideas and insights throughout his blog about some of the various facets of Zen, that I enjoy reading. They include things like simplifying your life, motivation, getting things done, etc.

How does that relate to running? Good question. Leo is a marathoner, having completed 2 marathons. He has written previous posts about the importance of exercise and eating healthy. But he just wrote a reflection on completing the Guam Marathon. As a good blogger he created a list of “10 Things I learned from my Second Marathon“. I would have thought he had learned them before, since most of them are common running laws. He did drop almost an hour off his time between the two marathons and that is why he is using it to share his lessons learned.

Here is his list (visit his post for his thoughts and explanations):

1. Running experience matters a lot.
2. Pacing is huge.
3. Extra weight also matters a lot.
4. Be relaxed and have fun.
5. Test out your gear beforehand, on a long run.
6. Keep your upper body relaxed.
7. Plan your day before well.
8. Having people to talk to is great.
9. Have a reason to keep going at the end.
10. The long run is your marathon training  speed work doesn’t matter (much).

Do you have any advice or thoughts for Leo?

[tags] Marathon, Training, Marathon Training, Zen [/tags]