Aristotle wrote in his work Metaphysics, that "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." That statement is a simple but very accurate description of holistic running and holistic runners. Holism is a word derived from the Greek word, holos, which means all, whole or entire. The concept of holism as it relates to distance running is that your running as a whole cannot be explained or determined by its singular component parts alone. Instead, it's how all of the components of your running, your mental attitude, your spiritual involvement, your training techniques, your fitness level, your reasons for running, your experience level, your running goals and all other personal running components taken together will play a major role in how each singular component works and behaves.
A holistic runner will not focus on one component of running. A more holistic runner understands how all the various components of running; the various paces, techniques, distances and reasons for running work together to improve their running life. Moving more toward the holistic side of running will make you a more well rounded, versatile and successful lifelong runner. Here are some articles, tips and information on holistic running and holistic runners.
