RUN 83 - Nature's power motivates

The power of the weather is an awe inspiring motivator, so much so that it's sometimes hard to not stop for too long taking it all in. The power in the wind and the waves is amazing, and although makes you feel insignificant by comparrison, its uncompromising limitless strength also stirs a sense of possibility in my running. [3.2m-26:22-08:15/m]

[Promontary Point, Hyde Park, Chicago]

RUN 82 - Running Mad

Sometimes i just have to run; just as sometimes i might say i 'need' a drink... or perhaps a smoker 'needs' a cigarette. I'm not talking about addiction, I'm talking about the confidence you have in the outcome of a particular action or activity. The knowledge that completing a run will channel built up negative energy, tension or stress is a powerful support system to deal with life. [6.38m-52:18-08:12/m]

[43rd Street Bridge @ Lake shore Drive]

RUN 81 - mental strength

I've found that just as the mind plays tricks on me to make me stop running, i can do the same to build mental strength... organising a run from point A-B so that there is no choice but to complete the run home, simulating the scenario of a race to stimulate the same strength and resilience you find when racing. It's interesting to experience the different mental challenges, which vary greatly depending on the type of run route, A-B, A-A etc. [4.55m-36:36-08:02/m]

[Storm clouds brewing over Chicago]

RUN 80 - learning to run

How can you ever discover what you're truly capable of unless you try? Running is like studying, you have to teach your body and mind the skills necessary to compete or complete a goal. Just as you would never try and take an examination without studying, running a marathon or any race without training would be futile, the training is where all the hard work is done, if you've trained hard and long enough the racing will come naturally. [4.0m-42:04-08:43/m]

[Sunrise over Lake Michigan]

RUN 79 - Confidence & Support

So much of running is about confidence, confidence in your ability, reassured by your training and reassured by the people in your life. Their attitude towards your passion for running (if you truly care what they think) can have an important affect, boosting or diminishing your confidence. At some point in every challenging run your mind is tested just as the body is, to succeed you need the honest and sincere encouragement of those you care for. [6.0m-46:26-07:44/m]

[East Lagoon Brideg Street Light, Chicago USA]

RUN 78 - Peace & Solitude

Even in a city of millions you can find peace and solitude, running south today from the heart of the city along the shores of Lake Michigan; encountering literally no more than a handful of other people, the contrast is obvious leaving the hustle and bustle of the Loop, all the while the calming constant mirror like surface of the lake stays with me, its gentleness setting a pensive powerful mood as i push through a run made difficult by less than ideal preparation. [7.90m–01:06:48–08:27/m]

[Lake Michigan, Chicago USA]

RUN 77 - Identity

Running alone on a chilly windy trail is probably good practise for what's to come over the next six months. I'll be moving from a global city of dedicated runners to a country of equal dedication; but in a region of relative running seclusion, while I expect the sense of community will diminish, the opportunity to reconnect with my own identity as a runner will flourish. [4.0m-30:23–07:36/m]

[Autumn, Chicago, USA]

RUN 76 - channelling emotion

Just as running has the power to raise the spirit and improve your mood, the reverse is true too; the acuteness of your mood (positive or negative) can fuel the running effort, channelling that energy into a run serves to heighten the training and neutralize the emotional energy brought to that run. [8.24m-01:04:23-07:48/m]

[Chicago Night Sky]

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RUN 75 - anything is possible

I've had several opportunities in my life so far to stand by my belief that anything is possible - should you truly want it & if you commit 100% of yourself; now my wife and I continue to challenge ourselves and live by this mantra. With these last few runs I've officially begun my training program for my upcoming coastal marathons in December, January, April & May. It's going to be a huge challenge especially in conditions I'm not yet used to, but that challenge is what drives me and feeds my confidence; just as it does in my personal life, and just as it does tonight running in a 40-50mph windstorm. Be open to the idea that anything is possible and you might just surprise yourself. [5m-41:20-07:58/m]

[East Lagoon Harbor, Chicago, USA]

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RUN 74

I believe just as we eat and breathe, we need to be able to free our minds; to wander unguided, in and out of unconstrained ideas and dreams. Running gives me that opportunity, normal time constraints fall away, the minutes and miles tick by as each step becomes part of the space around you and your form flows free from tension, as does your mind. [10.45m-01:26:58-08:19/m]

[Nature Preserve, Lake Shore, Chicago, USA]

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