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Loading...Distance Running: Meditation in Motion
- Becky Striepe
- July 19, 2011
- 4:05 pm
- 21 comments
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Setting out on a long run feels very much like meditation, and like meditation it takes work to get into the right mindset.
Your brain is naturally going to want to gauge how far you have to go, and it’s those nagging thoughts that often make you want to cut things short far before your body is tired. The key to a long run, like the key to practicing meditation, is that you’ve got to clear your head and exist right there, in the moment.
How to Achieve Distance Running Meditation
There was an episode of Radiolab recently where they interviewed an ultra-marathon runner who talked about the rhythm of your stride and your breath. She described it as “poetry,” and I think that’s just about right.
To get to that sweet spot, you want to shut everything out of your head and focus on your breath coming in and out and your feet as they hit the pavement. What the ultra-marathoner talked about – and what’s worked for me and my partner – is a double inhale and exhale, paired with two strides. It works like this:
- As your foot hits the ground, you take a short breath in.
- The next time your foot makes contact with the pavement, take another short breath.
- Take another step and breathe out.
- Take one more step and breathe out again.
- Keep this rhythm going, breathing in and out and focusing on your stride and let other thoughts fall away.
You don’t want to count your steps or your breaths. Just breathe. In, in. Out, out. Step, step. Step, step. Before you know it, your mind will be quieter, and you’ll have found your rhythm.
Have any of you tried distance running? How did you prepare mentally for those long runs? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Danielle Walquist Lynch
Related:
6 Yoga Poses for Runners
7 Weird Energizing Foods Runner Swear By
Learning to Run
4 Walking Yoga Meditations
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Read more: Fitness, Health, Mental Wellness, distance running, exercise, Fitness, health, heart health, marathon training, meditation
Becky Striepe
Becky Striepe is a freelance writer and vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. Her life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! Like this article? You can follow Becky on Twitter or find her on Facebook!
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Flowers add so much to any room and always bring a smile to my face.
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Thank you :)
Eh what shell I say, eh what was the issue?
Some of these ideas are new to me, thank you.
21 comments
+ add your ownI am not a big runner or like to run, period! but.......... just like a month ago, I;ve decided to run just to get condition cause my thinking is to do rock climbing.... oh boy! I suffer, yes I suffer. I can do 50 or 60 miles on my bicycle or hike for 7 hrs. but running ha ha maybe "if" lucky 15 min.
Anyhow..... I just need to focus and breath and not give up, cause running is really good for you! Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the article.
Great article. I've never had a run after which I didn't feel better. It has a way of really clearing the mind.
For me, the first couple miles of a long run are for getting all systems in sync: feet, check; arms, check; breathing, check. At mile three or so, all the parts have found a comfortable rhythm and my brain checks out.
Some people claim they use running as a time to think through problems or to connect with creativity. My runs allow me to leave conscious thought behind, a kind of time travel. My feet just move in the now until I realize the time has flown and I'm nearly home.
Those couple hours of living in the absolute now give me the strength and peace to face the craziness of the rest of the day.
Mychael - That makes a lot of sense! I'm going to try it.
ty
I have been doing the double inhale/exhale ever since I started running at the beginning of this year. I was told and always thought it was wrong! But I couldn't help it! I actually tried to stop doing it. I was even made fun of when I told a friend about it. Thank you so much for this article, I feel much better about my "weird" breathing now.
I do long runs a lot, and my step/breath pattern is in threes. That way I don't feel like I'm favoring one side or the other with an inhale. For instance; left foot strikes and I inhale sharply through my nose, followed by an exhale from my mouth on the next right/left...then the next inhale is on the right foot, etc. Seems strange to explain but it feels much more balanced to me.
At my age plain walking would do.
Perfect timing - I am training for a marathon this November (my third but the last two were 20+ years ago!)(I am 58) and I intend to try this breath/step idea this weekend with my long run. Thanks!!!!
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