Zen and the Art of Running

Training for THE marathon continues.

Last weekend I spent time with my wonderful friend Janice in San Diego.  Sundays are our long run training days so she took me to a local reservoir lake.  A wonderful feature of the track was 1/4 mile markers all the way around the lake to let me know whether I was staying on pace or not.

At the end of the race, I told Partner that I needed Zen and the Art of Running, not realizing that someone had written the book already.  The reason, I need such a book, you see, is I've fallen twice during our training.  Both times because I was really mad.

However, mad appears to push concentration from my mind and allows the karma boomerang a clear path.  Or, an asphalt path, in my case:

Zen and I, it appears, may be a little bit apart

So, perhaps, if I'm going to make it through this little adventure, I need to calm down a bit.  I've just finished reading Born to Run, which I've found to also be very much about the mind/body connection in running. He talks in one section about relaxing into the run and just running to run and not to "get" something (weight loss, winning, etc).  Sounds good. I'll let you know if I ever get there....

The book is also a pretty fascinating read from a running/psychology/ physiology/ anthropology/ cultural/ health/ adventure story perspective.  It's a lot in less than 300 pages.  

Otherwise, training is going well.  I've missed one training day because of my ankle hurting (ahem, may be related to picture above).  We're running a 10-km race this weekend to keep motivated and check our endurance.  In two weeks, we step up the distance quite a bit and will run 10 - 20 miles every Sunday for 16 weeks. *sobs briefly*

Eighteen weeks to race day.

56 miles run, 268 miles to go.

p.s. - On a similar note, Melissa is going to do the 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer.  Unfortunately, she's hit a bit of a training wall and could use your support.  And she has some apropos items available to thank you for your support. 

Comments

[karin]

Ouch!!! But: "Success is getting up once oftener than you fall down!" (I read that on a greeting card once.)

[kate]

I wish I could think of running the way my 10-year-old son does. "It just feels so good to run!!"

Hope your leg isn't too sore.

[Rachel]

Okay, I have to ask what you were so mad about as to fall during running? :)

And now after I've probed more than I should, I will simply say OUCH. But at least you are still running. I'm cheering you on from afar and hoping the next 16 Sundays go by smoothly and without more falls!

[melissa]

oh my goodness - ouch! did you consider the option that you were zen, but the pavement wasn't?
hope the weekend's race went well!

thanks for the shout-out re the bc3d as well! you're awesome!!

[nova]

I do not consider running to be a Zen activity in the least. It's painful (as you well know, sorry)tiring and there is sweat involved. Where is the Zen, I mean really?