My worst run... and the importance of body awareness

[Pigivi]

Yesterday was definitely my worst run - or should I say attempt to run... could it be the very unpleasant damp warmish weather with a chilly w​ind? Hormones? The fact that I was eating too randomly for the past couple of days?

I only managed around 12 minutes of the speed podcast before giving in :(​ Ended up doing 1 h 45 walk, up and down the hills. Tomorrow will be better, today I'll go for a swim...

Since I started the C25K I rarely gave in, and when it had happened it was because I could sense injury coming. I took it slowly, but I made it.

Well, even with the risk of boring everybody, all this led to musing about how important for getting back to run my meditation practice has been.

How? Years of yoga, hours of body scans and mindfulness of body and breath have taught me to listen to it without the interference of the thinking mind (or better, if I notice that the mind starts interfering I can ​choose : either I get caught in it or I just accept it and go back to just notice the physical experience)

So when my mind goes:​ "oh, that's too hard, forget about it and just have a stroll" - but my body says: "I can go on" and my lungs say: "we'll get into the rythm" , then I go on. But if the body starts saying... "look out, that is not right, something not nice is going to happen.." I slow down or stop.

I do believe that - after the hamstring episode - this is what had kept me injury free until now. We do have to push ourselves but we also should learn to become fully aware of what our body is telling us, and recognize the moment where the mind is getting in the way. Knowing when to stop or slow down is as important as knowing when to push ourselves, no less, no more.

At the moment I am reading a book - and in ​many ways it confirms what I thought about meditation and running... it's written by a tibetan buddhist lama, who is also a marathon runner : Sakyong Miphan "Running with the mind of meditation" - interesting

HAPPY RUNNING!

Disclaimer: I do spend more time sitting on a meditation cushion than running

And apologies​ for any grammar or spelling mistake, English is my second language

[Tomas Graduate]

I think you're spot on with the "listening to your body". It's not easy to know when to push, but as you say, with practise we become better at it.

[MarlyParly Graduate]

Lovely post & really wise & insightful, thank you. You write really well by the way, would never have guessed English wasn't your first language! X

[Pigivi in reply to MarlyParly]

Thank you, that's a great compliment!

[poppypug Graduate in reply to MarlyParly]

Totally agree, really insightful and very wise words too , and I always thought you were English living and working in Chile !

Your English is amaaazzing xxx

[teabreaks Graduate]

Mindfulness of body and spirit. Love it. I listen to a podcast most evenings and it has really helped me to be 'present' in the moment. I will check out that book. Thankyou, wonderful inspiring post x

[Pigivi]

Thank you - I am Italian but have been living in SW Ireland for the past 17 years - with a couple os seafaring breaks