Think for a moment about a great early morning run.
It doesn’t need to be the fastest run you’ve ever recorded – in fact it probably shouldn’t be. It should just be one of those runs where everything comes together.
Dwell for a moment on some of the sensations of that run. Close your eyes and relax into remembering the feeling just before you started. As you laced up your shoes and looked up at the sky, taking in the conditions. Feeling a cool, gentle breeze on your skin. Watching the sun rising to bathe your world in a golden light.
As you stand and stretch, you fill your lungs with air and shake out your limbs. You can sense the start of something, a feeling that this is going to be a great run full of moments that will combine to elevate you and your day.
This run will fill you with motivation and positivity. This run will set you up for whatever challenges lie ahead.
Perhaps the run you are thinking about is a solo effort: just you, your thoughts, an inspiring view and the sound of your footsteps.
Or maybe you are meeting friends – the people who understand that for you, running is not just something you do. It is what you are. Running together as a shifting, moving pack, you flow seamlessly through the morning air. Sometimes talking and joking, at other times just putting one foot in front of the other, quietly focused on how you feel, your pace and the environment you are floating through.
And then, at the end, you feel completely exhilarated. The air you draw in flows through your body. Your pulse is strong. Your muscles are warm and loose. The day has started and you are ready for whatever comes next.
Take a minute and think about one of those runs. Those moments. Because these are the moments that fill us with confidence. These runs help us understand that we can do anything we set our minds to. These are the runs that prepare us to succeed.
Kit, mindset and culture: the requirements for a great run
The best runs contain key ingredients: the right kit, the perfect mindset and immersion in a culture that supports and motivates. On the surface, these elements are so simple. But behind the perfect run there lies a delicate balance. As runners, we strive for that balance.
Kit
The right kit does many things: it enhances performance, inspires confidence, looks great and fits perfectly. Adidas Solar is designed to tick all those boxes. The adidas Solar range is designed for runners for whom getting out the door is not simply an option – it is what illuminates our days and our lives, as well as allowing us to inspire others.
Adidas Solar is driven by pure functionality in every detail. The upper features thousands of micro-stitches, engineered precisely to support the runner’s foot. At the back of the shoe, a supportive heel system allows freedom of movement for the runner’s Achilles tendon. And under the foot is a highly responsive BOOST midsole, designed and manufactured to energise every run.
The shoes in the adidas Solar range are the tools that help runners take their performance to another level.
Mindset
Mindset is as important as what we wear. With the right approach, we are capable of so much more than we think we are.
Running has the power to transform lives – your life and the lives of those around you. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other drives us to reach higher and go further. Through running we find energy, make connections and have fun. All of this builds a mindset of positivity and passion.
Often when we think about why people run, it is for intrinsic and extrinsic reasons – runners want to improve themselves. At the same time, they want to inspire others and share the joy that running brings. With a mindset like this, a runner is able to connect with
others and change the world.
Culture
Running culture is as diverse as running itself. But there are commonalities that connect us as runners. Competition, fun, drive and inspiration all play a part in our running lives. Many people consider running to be a lonely activity. But as runners, we know this isn’t true – we know that through our sport we are connected to millions of other people, all of them knowing that individuals both benefit from and add to running culture.
Running with others is a huge part of running culture; whether that means running with a training partner, ticking off the miles on a long run, or running with our crew through city streets. Perhaps even standing on the start line of a race with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of others. Running is a way for us to connect with others.
The sense that we all are part of a culture of running is one of the things that connects us as runners.
Kit/Mindset/Culture = Confidence
For those who know that running will elevate them in every way, confidence is key. With the adidas Solar range, the right mindset and a sense of the culture of running that surrounds and inspires us, confidence is assured.
So take one last moment to think about that morning sunrise run. Remember how it elevated you. And set your sights on the next one.
Words by Simon Freeman.
Adidas is built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle. Everything we do is rooted in sport. Sport is central to every culture and society and is core to an individual’s health and happiness.
www.adidas.co.uk – @adidas