Denny Krahe is passionate about running. He’s a certified athletic trainer and also a strength and conditioning specialist. Denny has a goal to complete 50 marathons in 50 different states and he uses running to stay focused and grounded. He also has a podcast called ‘The Diz Runs With Podcast’ which features interviews and running tips. Denny talks with other runners from every corner of the running world in exactly the same way he would talk to any new running partner during an easy day.

Contact Info

• Website: www.DizRuns.com
• Podcast: DizRuns
• Social Media: @DizRuns

Most Influential Person

• Hal Elrod (Author of The Miracle Morning)

Effect on Emotions

• It helps me keep an even keel. I like to think that I’m a pretty even keeled guy most of the time but like with anybody there are certain times when you get fired up or upset. I recognize it in myself very quickly. I take a couple of breaths and step away from the situation if necessary and allow things to settle back down. I’m thankful that I have that kind of personality.

Thoughts on Breathing

• There’s no question in my mind that the act of breathing and focusing on deep breaths; breathe in deep and slow on the exhale, it just helps to calm the body. I know there’s science that supports that and what it does for the blood pressure. I just feel it. Whether it’s before I record an interview, I just take a couple of breaths to calm my thoughts and settle my nerves. Or maybe before a race or when I’m frustrated because the baby’s acting up. A couple of breaths does wonders for me.

Suggested Resources

• Book: Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
• App: Habitica (A gamified way of keeping track of to-do lists)

Advice for Newbie

With folks that are thinking about starting to run but don’t know where to begin, I think that starting is key. Don’t compare yourself to folks who have been doing it for a long time. That was a big hurdle for me, was the idea, if I’m going to meditate, so that means I have to sit here for 20 minutes, for 30 minutes, for 60 minutes and not think about anything. Point blank, I don’t think that I could do that without my mind just wandering, going crazy and having all kinds of different thoughts. If I’m supposed to be quiet in my mind, how am I going to just sit here for an hour? It’s not something that I can do. Then you realize that those folks who are doing that have probably been meditating for twenty years, for thirty years, for their entire lives. No wonder they’re so disciplined and able to do that. It doesn’t make any sense to try to compare myself with those type of folks. Five minutes, that’s something I can attempt to do, then I can bump it up to ten minutes. That idea of start small and when you fail, don’t beat yourself up for it. If I miss a day, it’s not the end of the world. When I have a day where I start out trying to meditate and my mind wanders and I think, man, I only had a quiet mind for a minute and a half, that’s ok. We’ll try again tomorrow. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect and be ok when you’re not perfect.