The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)

But I Hate Running
“I’m not a runner though, Jon. In fact, I hate running. There’s no way I
could do it.”
“Come on, Hal—it’s to raise money for the Front Row Foundation,” Jon
Berghoff responded. “Look, I didn’t think I could do a marathon either, but
once you commit to it, you’ll find a way to make it happen. And I’m telling
you, it is truly a life changing experience!”
“I’ll think about it.”
Telling Jon I would think about it was really just my way of getting him
off my back. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believed in and supported the
life-changing work done by the Front Row Foundation. I had been donating

---

money to the organization for years, but writing a check was a little easier
than running a marathon. Unless I was being chased, I hadn’t intentionally
run so much as a block in the 10 years since I graduated high school. And
even back then I only ran to keep from failing PE class.
Besides, ever since breaking my femur and pelvis in the car accident,
back when I was 20, I was always afraid of what might happen if I put too
much pressure on my leg. In fact, every time I went snow skiing, I couldn’t
help but have visions of me tripping and taking a hard fall, then having the
metal rod in my leg break through the skin of my thigh. It’s a gruesome
thought, but breaking your limbs and being told you may never walk again
can do that to you.
A week later after my conversation with Jon, one of my coaching clients
—Katie Fingerhut—completed her second marathon. “Hal, it’s so amazing…
I feel like I can do anything now!”
Between Jon and Katie’s enthusiastic testimonies for marathon running, I
was starting to think maybe it was time for me to overcome my limiting belief
about not being a runner, and just start running. Like everything else in life, if
they could do it, then so could I. So I did.
The next morning, intent on completing my first mile on my journey to
completing a marathon, I put on my basketball shoes (sound familiar?) and
headed out the front door of my house. I was actually looking forward to it!
(Remember, the first few days of any new habit are often exciting.)
Down the driveway I hustled, motivated and inspired. Onto the sidewalk
I ran. As I stepped from the sidewalk to the street, my ankle twisted on the
curb and I collapsed. Lying on the pavement, writhing in pain and gripping
my ankle, I thought to myself, everything happens for a reason, so I guess
today wasn’t the day for me to start running… I’ll try again tomorrow. So I
did.