Replace the mats with treadmills and you have my kind of a zen garden!
There’s a point on a long run where you reach this state of mind that’s just… well, I’m not sure if I can describe it in words. It’s partly like meditation but it’s not as empty of thought and it’s a little like sleep only with dreams that are a lot more vivid. Your conscious mind gives up trying to control you and your subconscious mind begins to roam far afield. That’s the point where running stops being a chore to be endured and starts being an activity to be enjoyed.
The key to getting to this state is to stop thinking about running and just run. That’s hard for me because my brain has a mind all its own. I’m thinking all the time. I’m trying to solve work problems, I’m trying to figure out what to write in my next article, I’m even trying to figure out what to do after the run. Mostly though, I’m thinking about running. Am I running too fast? Too slow? Is my breathing too fast? Has it been 10 minutes already? Do I think I’ve gone a mile yet? Should I count my steps? Will that make the run go by faster or slower? Geez, I want this run to be over with already! Those are the thoughts going through my brain, and those are exactly the kinds of thoughts that make running miserable.
The Zen Of Television
I used to be able to zone out with a TV in front of me. I would get on one of those treadmills with the TV attached and my brain would zonk out into Law & Order land. Sure, the occasional commercial break would interrupt my trance, but the silly plots and made up characters would be enough to distract me from thinking about running. Sadly, my brain outsmarted me yet again. It figured out that the time interval between commercial breaks is 10 to 15 minutes depending on show and now it counts those breaks as a way of measuring my progress. ”Seven more commercial breaks and you’ll be done” my brain tells me and I’m back to being miserable and thinking about running.
Meditation While Running
The solution was something I picked up in my meditation practice and it was a very simple technique focused on breathing. Breathing meditation teaches you all about focus because it asks you to do nothing but focus on your breath. Feel the air flowing in and out, feel your lungs expand, feel your chest rise and fall. You can pay attention to other things on occasion but always go back to the breathing. Always go back to the slow in and out pattern of air entering and leaving your body. It’s amazing how much sensation is actually involved with breathing when you pay attention to it.
Yes, sometimes your conscious brain will intrude with thoughts of due dates, work projects and bills to pay. Sometimes your mind will wander far afield, but you’re always there to catch it and bring it back to the breathing. Sooner or later (it takes me an average of 3 to 4 minutes), you’ll find yourself in a semi trance, a calm place where the conscious mind no longer rules your thoughts. That’s where I want to get to while running.
So these days I do a variant form of breath meditation while running. I don’t focus on the TV screen or the person in front of me, I focus only on my breathing. I pay attention to the rhythm of my body. I listen to my heart beat and I keep my mind from wandering. If I find myself thinking of other things I bring my mind back to the present, back to the breathing. Within 3 or 4 minutes I find myself in that running zone where time flies by and your body no longer strains to keep running. It’s a wonderful place, amazingly refreshing and amazingly pleasurable and it’s sure helping me train for that marathon!
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By the way, it’s even easier to do this when running outdoors, especially when you have a nice view to run through. Since you can’t really close your eyes while running, a pretty view will distract your visual senses and allow the rest of your senses to focus only on your body’s rhythm.
