Two sides to every coin - the spiritual side of running

Welcome back to yet another wonderful rant. This week I wanted to touch on the spiritual side of training. If that’s too woo woo for you then consider it the mind training that might get skipped when preparing for a race. In this case it’s a 50 km ultra marathon in Portugal and what I have learned through this past training block. 

Let’s start with the first thing that came to mind; The mind can run faster than your legs.
While a run of any distance is always a challenge for the physical there is an equal amount of mind that comes to play. I haven’t come across much in relation to this so decided to dive in. 

This training block allowed me a lot of time to myself. Which meant early mornings, driving in the rain and one day of hill repeats ( on a mountain.) It reminded me that having a set goal gives me a reason to follow through with the things I might not want to do in the moment but will appreciate when the going gets tough on race day.

These solo runs are a test for being with myself. Both in body and mind. I no longer wear headphones when I run so it’s a good time to see where the mind can wander and how to reel it back into presence before it gets away. To test myself when nobody is watching. In our lives of constant stimulation these weekly runs have become something I cherish, especially with the variety of new terrain and beauty we have to explore in Bali. 

Such a major part of Ultra running is being alone. In the physical and in your mind. If you aren’t chasing a win you are likely just trying to find ways to make your mind shut up and allow you to hobble along and make the cut off times. I did a 3 hour solo run yesterday and I found it hard to push myself when I was tired. Even to get out of bed when it was raining was a challenge, but like any race , I’ve learned each little win adds up. When I finished said run I was so happy to have done it. This blog is the result of overcoming each little speedbump my mind built.

Funny to write this as a guy who hosts a run club which thrives off running in a massive group. I guess it just comes down to balance. It’s beautiful to witness both narratives and understand how each one reflects other aspects of my life. 

Running in a big group allows us to utilize the energy of those around us to move forward. To know people have your back and give us a greater reason to show up when we said we would. It can also bring inspiration and drive to become better versions of ourselves by witnessing others doing the same.

Running alone shows us how we really run,  gives us access to alternative motivations and makes showing up a little harder because the only person you might let down is yourself. 

If you are still reading this and are trying to determine if you are a run club person or prefer to run solo I suggest you give both a go. Trying both might just change the way you see and approach the opposite.

Thanks for your time and I hope to share a coffee and run with you soon.

FB