Mindfulness as a Runner

"The goal of mindfulness to be fully aware of the thoughts one is having and of the emotions one is experiencing."

I've been reading a book about mindfulness as it applies to teaching, part of some research into an initiative I'd like to begin implementing at my school next year.  Research supports that students who are taught how to be mindful are better able to focus, manage behavior, and achieve at a higher level. Part of my reading has included ways to help teachers be more mindful themselves, as a way to not only enhance their teaching experience, but also because having a sense of what mindfulness feels like will help them guide their students along the right path.

As I progress through the book, I've been thinking of ways that I am mindful, and areas of my life that I could become more mindful.  As I reflected, I concluded that I am really pretty mindful when it comes to family and school.  I really try to be an active listener and a thoughtful responder, and I always try to take into account the perspective of others.  It's just been how I've grown as a parent and educator, and I am happy with the result so far!  As I thought further, of course I considered how mindfulness pertains to my running as well, and that is where I need some work.

This past week, though technically still recovery, was intended to return my body to running, though slowly and easily.  It was a week, however, that definitely did not go as planned.  After trouble with my previous running shoes, I was on the lookout for new ones.  I spent a bunch of time trying out a couple of models and settled on a pair, and they ended up not working out at all.  It was simply the way the outer sole rubbed against my toes, and after a couple of runs I knew they weren't going to do the job.  I returned them and got the other pair I'd tried out, with high hopes that they'd be the ones.  All the while, I was still battling tension and soreness in my left foot which was causing me a lot of stress.

Yesterday, serendipitously at the same time my coach was running her most recent marathon, I took my new kicks out for the best run I've had since race day.  They fit and felt perfect, and the tension in my left leg was nonexistent.  I controlled my speed, for the most part, which is something I'm working on, and I even kept myself from running more than I was supposed to, even though I wanted to keep going.  Today, I went on my longest run since the marathon, a beautiful 7.5 easy miles around town, and it felt amazing.  No pain, great energy, and a smile from the first mile to the end.

Aren't they awesome??

So what does this have to do with mindfulness?  I was a little panicky about my left leg pain and failure to find the right shoe at first shot. I started doubting myself, allowing myself to worry about a possible injury, and letting fear of failure and disappointment consume my running life.  I was feeling sluggish and lazy for not running.  I think that if I had been more mindful of myself as a runner, I would have paid more attention to how I was feeling and accepted my rest days/missed workouts as just that...a need for more rest following the fastest marathon I've ever run.

Before this marathon, I never quite understood what people meant when they said runners need a mental break following a big race.  I suppose that's an indication of how hard I trained this time around.  I guess 4:30 AM workouts will wear on you after a while, and my body was telling me that one week of sleeping until a normal hour was not quite enough.  I needed another one, and my body made sure I got it, one way or another.

Tomorrow is a rest day for me, and I plan to be very mindful of how I'm feeling as a runner when I look at my training week ahead and make the best decisions possible.