Nothing has had a bigger impact on my life than running.
I am anti any form of organised religion but running is I suppose my religion in that I beleive in running it supports,uplifts,restores my faith in human kind (thankyou to that guy who gave me his last compeed at the Exmoor Stagger) it motivates it disciplines and it unites it also has meditative qualities.
A girl at college and I had a huge debate about wether or not you could reach a state of mind where you were not thinking at all. She said meditation was b****cks and you are always thinking of something. I wanted to tell her she should try long distance running because you really do zone out.
But I spied the fag in her hand and the grey complection of someone who only raises her her heart rate when she runs to get the bus and I didn't bother.
Does anyone else get to that state of mind where they forget that they are running?
Where you only realise you zoned out when you snap out of it again?
If so does this still happen on Ultra runs?
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For me it remains a struggle to keep going
( ive done a marathon)
theres my two cents ...and twenty spelling mistakes
But the end result is the same as after meditation I suppose (I'm not into meditation, just guessing here) - when I'm finished, I'm thoroughly relaxed and chilled. Together with the feeling of being pleasantly physically knackered, it makes for a potent feel-better tonic.
It's not only on the long-distance stuff, either. If I'm really stressed I find a good bit of blasting up hills is a great relief. Especially if I visualize the face of whoever pissed me off under my shoe for every pace.
I wouldn't advocate switching off the grey matter altogether while running, for safety reasons. But my mind certainly wanders.
How to get high without a spliff!
every step is hard at the moment
Meditation of the sort you describe is good too, but not when on the move over uneven ground.
On the other hand, my brain often switches off when I'm driving and from the evidence of my eyes I would guess that this is a common phenomenon.
"why the f*** am I doing this?"
or
"if HE thinks I am going to make the bed again he can..."
or
"SLOW THE F*** DOWN"
Of course once you are rid of the angry tension or whatever else was on your mind it helps me to just switch off.
But I agree that on tracks or trails or in a field where you have just spotted some angry bullocks it is probably better to stay more alert!
Since I was unaware until after the event, I can only guess it lasted for about 1/2 mile. I can remember seeing all the traffic etc, however cant remember any thoughts, including concentrating on my breathing and pace.
I remember reading once that one method of meditation is to try to extend the time between one thought and the next. (Heavy s**t)
Kaine
To run...to breathe... and forget...everything...bliss
When I am not zenning out I either sing to myself (in my head) or listen to radio 2 on my mobile phone (it was a fantastic idea to make mobiles that are also radios!!)
I think this is true although it may only apply if you are swimming in a swimming pool and keep having to reverse direction. Maybe if you were running in a gym hall you would start counting instead of just thinking.
In the days when I had t work for a living I used to reckon that my run at lunchtime kept me sane. I could think about anything or nothing and start the second half of the day refreshed.
I think running along a well known route helps you relax and also helps get things in perspective regeardless of whether the thinking is conscious or subconscious.
Time to go to bed and get unconscious
I have 2 states, funnily enough I was reflecting on what creates them only today. One is the euphoric high I personally get from running close to my anaerobic threshold, or 1/2 marathon pace if you like. It makes me feel completely relaxed and 'at one' with my body (hard to describe without feeling a bit embarrassed) I usually also feel it during racing, and afterwards it gradually wears off over a couple of hours.
The other is related to the landscape around me and is most closely to the meditative state you describe. It's like you stop thinking and can just 'be' whilst being very aware of the sights and smells around me. Occasionally happens on sunny days on off road runs.
Those are the runs I'd give up last.
Thanks for starting this thread!
Go faster when I see a cat, mind.
I agree with you I also have two running states. With the odd third state of awkward breathing, being aware of every inch you cover and it lasting forever, when that happens I always feel eager to get back out the next day and and run better.
I think the state of mind where you can just "be" ,as you put it,and you feel you could go on forever, is mainly helped by how well your breathing is? What do you think?
If I'm out on a long run I can zone out & not remember how I got to be where I am at that point. A bit scary if it lasted for 4-5 miles but I think it's only for short periods of say 4-5 min. The countyside & running by the sea helps.
On the other hand doing a hard session is a really good way to get rid of any agression.
I do enjoy raceing but some of the best feelings have come during training session's
Lets face it running is the best drug in the world to make you as high as a kite. [Not that I have ever tried anything illegal & never would]I think you know what I mean?
Tim
My legs were hitting the road, but I couldn't feel the impact.
My heart and lungs were working very hard, but I felt no pain.
I had no worries and was as care-free as a child in a play-park.
It was probably then that I realised that I was never going to give up running.
After 20 minutes I seem to settle in to comfortable pace. At this point I feel very relaxed, almost euphoric, and I feel like I could run all day like this.
After about 90 minutes though it starts to get uncomfortable again and I just want it to be over.