Tuesday 18 August 2015
Post originally published at www.joy4running.wordpress.com
Written by Victoria Stanham
Most of my
non-running friends’ response to “Why don’t you run?” is something along the
lines of, “I love the idea of running… I just hate the actual running
itself.”
If we are all born
with the necessary hardware and software for the task... why is running
pleasurable only to a gifted few? Does it have to be this way? Can something be
done about it?
I believe it can...
and I have this great idea to share with you.
Just for clarity's
sake, I’m not going to teach you how to go “from couch to 5k”, nor give advice
on what shoes to buy, nor what training plan to follow, nor what to eat before
a run. All these topics have
already been exhaustively covered in other running-related
blogs out there.
My focus here is not
so much on the “externals” of running as in the “internals”. What you’ll get
from me is ideas on how to manage
your breath, body and mind so that they stop fighting each other and start
cooperating during
your runs.
What for?
Sheer running-bliss. No more, no less.
So what’s my running-mojo all about?
1.
Awareness and Use of
Breath. Enjoyment of running is
almost equivalent to your enjoyment of breathing. Do you enjoy breathing? Do
you like how you breathe? Do you enjoy breathing even when your heart-rate
speeds up? Or does it suddenly get all painful and out of control?
2.
Awareness and Use of
Mental Processes.Out of control breath
equals out of control mind… and vice-versa. Where does your mind wander off to
when you run? Is this what your train of thought looks like? Most exhaustion is rooted
in the out-of-control wandering mind; once you learn to bring it home to rest,
more energy becomes available to you.
3.
Awareness and Use of
Body Mechanics. The
body is the resting place for both breath and mind. But, if pain and strain
also reside there, you can’t blame breath and mind to try and go wandering
somewhere else. To master the biomechanics of running, body awareness has to
come first and excess effort must be let go.
Every complaint I’ve
ever heard about running from would-be runners can be traced back to the
downward spiral of a poor breathing pattern, fuelling an out-of-control mind, which
engenders poor body-mechanics, which in turn hinders the breath, which
exacerbates the mind, which tenses the body... ad infinitum.
The saddest part
is we are not even aware that this is going on, we’re only aware of the
discomfort and pain it causes to
a specific part of us. So before you decide to tinker with your breathing
pattern or your body-mechanics: STOP! You can’t
change what you don’t know is there.
My first tip is
this: Invest in heightening your awareness of
body, mind and breath. Above all, become aware of
how these
3 aspects are intimately related.
In future posts I’ll share some of the exercises that
have helped me enhance my own awareness of
these three areas and their interrelatedness. If you don't want to miss
them, just register your email to receive notifications of new posts directly
in your inbox.
Happy Running!
-Vicky
Tuesday 11 August 2015
This blogpost was originally published in my running blog at www.joy4running.wordpress.com
It’s winter here
in Uruguay, and it’s difficult to start (or keep up) a running routine. No
matter how much I enjoy the actual running, and the post-running bliss,
stepping out into the cold and the wind is not always the most tempting
prospect.
This year,
however, I managed to keep the winter blues at bay. These arte the 4 keys I
used to stay on track:
1.
Having a Fixed Date with a Running
Group and/or Running Buddies
Nothing beats
keeping me on my toes than the support and encouragement of my new running
group: Trotamundos Running Uruguay , and arranging runs with my sister.
There’s something about keeping a commitment with someone else that makes
getting out the door easier.
Benefits:
·
fixed
days and times for runs means I don’t have to decide when to go out for a run (I like keeping superfluous decisions down
to a minimum, they use up too much precious energy)
·
the
camaraderie and fun energy of a group makes going out for a run more
motivating, even when I’m tired
2.
Registering for a Race
Joinging a
running group means I have 3 fixed running dates a week. This doesn’t mean I
don’t ‘skip’ training days anyways. Sometimes I’m tired after a long day of
work, or I’m just too lazy. The best solution: registering for a race that’s a
tiny bit challenging for me and that requires sticking to a training program.
With my sister we’ve set our sights on a sponsored 7k run in a month and a
half. I’ve gone a bit further and started courting the idea of running the Nike
Half Marathon in two months. Perhaps that’s crazy, but it gives me enough
motivation to lace up and step out.
Benefits:
·
extra
motivation not to skip training days
·
that
great feeling of building towards something, even if I don’t reach my goal
3.
Having a Training Plan
I get bored if I
always follow the same routine when I run. That’s why I like to have a varied
training plan. This also avoids me having to decide what to do when I’m out
running: it’s there on today’s plan.
Benefits:
·
keeping
things interesting and moderately challenging
·
keeping
the weight-loss benefits (it’s been proven that doing always the same run, at
the same pace completely undermines weight-loss goals)
·
not
having to think “what should I do today?”
4.
Setting up for Success
There are thousands of little, simple things I
can do to make it easier for me not to skip a run due to plain laziness. The ones that work best for me are: a) leaving my running clothes ready to jump
into (either by my bed for a morning run, or in a bag if I’m doing a
post-work run), b) writing in my running
dates in my agenda, so as to avoid scheduling other stuff at the same time,
and c) training near my house, (this one I learned the hard way, after
joining a club once that required a half hour commute to come and go).
Benefits:
·
elminating excuses and
obstacles
·
prioritizing
my runs over other activities
What are your
keys to keep the motivation going?
Let me know in
the comments below… I can always use more advice in this area.
Happy Running!
-Vicky
Monday 3 August 2015
This post was originally published in my new running and Alexander Technique blogsite, at www.joy4running.wordpress.com
Every time I
took up running in the past it lasted me for no more than a month. My main
reason for taking up this particular form of torture was fairly
straightforward: I wanted to lose weight and I’d read that running burned far
more calories than walking.
So, for a
few weeks, I would drag myself onto the Rambla a couple of times a week
for a 30 minute torture session of walk-run-walk. Although I enjoyed the
post-workout feeling of accomplishment, I hated every minute of going through
the actual ordeal of putting one foot in front of the other as I gasped for
breath and ached all over. This needless suffering was the main reason I would
start skipping sessions on any semi-justifiable excuse.
The more I
skipped, the harder it was to break the inertia the next time. Eventually some
silly injury or nagging pain would keep me off the road for a couple of weeks
straight and that was the end of my running spree. The mere thought of having
to build up my endurance once again until 20 continuous minutes of jogging
didn’t feel like a death march was a sure motivation killer.
I decided
running was not for me. When the running craze hit Uruguay I congratulated
myself for not being one of those self-torturing crazies on the Rambla, with
the pained expressions, heavy footfalls and heaving breaths.
I had also
decided I didn’t need running. Having
found Pilates (which made me fall head over heels in love with movement for the
first time) and the Alexander Technique (which got me hooked into understanding
and thus moving how nature intended) I considered my movement needs more than
adequately met. And so it was for several years.
But the
funny thing is that Pilates and Alexander Technique made me so comfortable in
my own body they inched me ever closer to enjoying all the movement possibilities
available to a human being… and running is just the natural evolution of
walking.
So when my
sister, who used to be a running-hater too, started training for and completed
her first 5k race, I decided to give running another chance. To my pleasant and
ecstatic surprise I didn’t hate it AT ALL, I actually LOVED it. My training in
Pilates and Alexander Technique had made me an extremely efficient exerciser; I
had more endurance than seemed possible for someone who’d shunned cardio for years.
What’s even better, I discovered that even if I skipped a couple of weeks of
running, I could jump right back on track without feeling I had lost much
training.
Seeing that
running comes so easily and joyfully for me now, my sister has asked me what
the trick is. It’s not so much a trick but a set of organizing principles that
allow body and mind to be better coordinated. This results in the ability to
maintain good form and a deep breathing pattern even at times of great physical
exertion. The best part is we’ve discovered these principles can be taught and
learned fairly easily, so she’s improved her running too!
I’m writing
this blog to document my approach to running, in the hopes that it can help you
too. My sister will be the one keeping me real with what works and what
doesn’t. I’ll be sharing all my tips and
secrets which meet her one basic criteria for a run: take no more than 30
minutes.
Please, if
you are at all interested in enjoying running, leave a comment, ask a question,
suggest a topic for investigation. If you tell me what’s keeping you from
enjoying your runs, or what’s keeping you from running altogether, I’ll do my
best to figure out a way to get you a step closer to lacing on your running
shoes.
Happy
Running!
-Vicky
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