Running ~ a metaphor for life

The London marathon is under a week away and — whilst I’m not running it — I am starting to feel very excited (and a bit jealous) of what’s ahead for these runners.

Whether it’s physical or mental, there’s no denying that marathons are a challenge!

Pain is inevitable.

But OH, the reward!

I ran the Florence Marathon end of last year and it has solidified my love and respect for running even more. Adding the endurance of running 26.2 miles to that love and respect is meaningful. There’s a robustness of spirit that lands, beyond running. A knowing that when there’s a whiff of adversity to surely sprout up in your life, you will get through. Because hey, you ran a marathon! And no one can taint or thieve that. There may have been some dark moments on track, but you crossed the finishing line. And you did it all by yourself.

A beautiful metaphor for life.

Joseph Campbell writes ‘The hero’s journey is about the courage to seek the depths’ and there are some unsettling moments in those dark cavities. If not on the marathon itself, then somewhere along the way in preparation. Thankfully, I avoided the infamous ‘Wall’ and I owe that to my diligence and training. But the mental anxiety I felt in the taper weeks leading up to the big day was so acute and discomforting that my heart is beating faster as I type and recall it now. What was that? Something about self pressure, self doubt… all the usual saboteurs.

But perhaps that darkness was something I had to face on my hero’s journey. Because I can take myself back to that bright, crisp November morning, surrounded by runners and noise at every turn and I can look ahead at that starting line in the distance (behind hundreds and hundreds of athletes queuing ahead of me facing the same quest) and I stand focused and poised. Free from mental chatter and worry. Absolutely READY.

The body took over that day. The Knowing. And she was with me every step of the way.

So yeah, something profound and spiritual happens whilst running. Not always but often. It’s a time where you’re surrounded by sights and life bustling around you but the track you carve is all yours.

I hear myself better. I face myself viscerally. There’s a cocktail of thoughts and feelings that crop up; it can vary from irrational rage to high as a kite euphoria all in 1km! I see it as a filtering process. A chance to recalibrate the mind, body and soul.

And there’s an aloneness that comes with running, unless you’re running with someone — even then the run itself is solo. There’s got to be self reliance. Free from the gear and fussy additions that accompanies the bike or the swim.

All you need is a pair of running trainers. That’s it! The rest is up to YOU.

I like that. I really like that.

It’s a purity sport. Mine is, at least. Maybe one day I’ll be the face of naked running!

And it’s a perfect opportunity to manage your ‘chimp’, as Steve Peters calls it. In The Chimp Paradox Peters links the inner chimp to the limbic system located in the brain — responsible for fast acting defences, impulses and chief emotions. Whilst we need it (especially when faced with fighting a tiger in the wild!) the chimp sometimes strikes in moments we could reeeeally do without it!

And I have found my chimp make all sorts of wild attempts to sabotage a run -

‘You’re not prepared enough for this distance! It’s too cold out for a run! You won’t finish so might as well stop now!’

Roll in Chimp Management!

For instance, I often start a run by uttering ‘I’m just going for a trot’. Pressure is off, it’s just a trot around the block…

*wink wink*

This little trick usually soothes the chimp impulse to abort. And the hardest bit, personally, is always getting the kit on and getting out the door. Then you’re off! You’re doing it! 15k later, DONE. That trot matured! And the chimp managed.

Sometimes, the chimp can pipe up on intervals or a long run and I always calm the chimp distress by breaking the run down with ‘just one threshold’ — 6 thresholds later, DONE.

Or ‘just run to that lamppost over there’ — keep pushing back that finishing point and you find yourself at the finishing line.

What’s great is this chimp exercising (literally) also positively impacts all aspects of life. So, when the chimp has a freak out I can ‘feed it a banana’ using simple, effective mind management tools and carry on with the task at hand.

No doubt, this book continues to strengthen and enhance my running and my life.

The other day my brother said, ‘I’m so lucky I’m a runner!’ I passionately agreed and have thought about it a lot since. I almost feel RELIEF for being a runner. Phew! I have this incredible super-tool and outlet.

But that wasn’t always the case… it’s been years of nourishing and building my relationship with running. It’s required patience and demanded bodily awareness, which is something I value above all. THE BODY. My body. What she does for me. This vessel that carries my memories, my emotions, my organs. And gauging the balance between pushing myself positively and not depleting my body has been a number one focus throughout training. Listening to her. I know that my relationship with my body and myself has deepened and strengthened since I’ve become a runner.

Haruki Murakami writes, ‘Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running and a metaphor for life.’

The guarantee that it won’t always be smooth sailing.

Sometimes the dread of the looming run hangs over days before (it’s usually a tasty threshold or sprint) and it feels like the worth of the week depends on GETTING IT DONE. Whilst the reward is sacred (cafetieres, chewy bars, peanut butter, bagels and surrendering to REST) I am aware that this can also be limiting and does need to be checked. Because with the life of running there is running your life and so runs sometimes can’t be ticked off. Que sera. Managing that is very important. A missed run (whilst we do as much as we can to adapt our schedules and find a way) must not determine the value of a week. That becomes obsessive and quite dangerous for mental and emotional well-being.

Running can take over. It can dictate a week. It can become more of a priority than social occasions, for instance. Blocking out an entire Sunday to give ample room for that long run. These long runs on a Sunday remain my constant, which I find comforting. Knowing I’ll secure that time by myself with such abundance of gratitude that I can do this! I can work these legs, I can use these lungs, I can feel the blood pump round my body with such empowering vigour! It’s one of the most freeing sensations in the world.

But it is not my whole world. And life must not be controlled by running.

Ideally, we fit them all in. With gracious acceptance that it’s not always going to be possible.

Still, if you can get out… you never regret a run.