What do you think about when you're running? When you're out and about your mind can venture into strange and interesting territory. Here's a selection of running reflections that our members have had while out and about. Some are amusing, some are quite philosophical, and some are a bit weird.
Running Reflections
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I did worse than my last marathon. And I'm okay with it. I know I can do better than what my time says. Perhaps it was because I didn't have my usual running buddy. I think that hurt my pacing. (I need to trick more people into running with me.)
I competed in a local 5k recently and even though I ran in high school and in college, I forgot how hard racing is. While other sports take a lot of athletic ability and skill, running requires sheer guts and fortitude more than just about any other sport. Physically and (maybe more importantly) mentally, you have to get to the point where you can run a required amount without stopping.
I have been running long distance for almost three decades. I am not an elite athlete or a running expert. I have never won a race or placed in one. Most of what I know about running comes from lacing up my sneakers and stepping outside. I run to claim time and space for healing and recovery. When I run, no one has permission to bother me. Something akin to meditation happens, as I tune into the rhythmic sound of my breathing and footfall on the pavement.
This has not always been the case. There was a period in my life when I let the numbers on my GPS watch dictate whether a run was successful and how I felt about myself. If I ran faster and farther than previously, I had achieved my goals. If I was unable to keep pace or finish a run, I was miserable. Most of my training goals were directed toward running farther and faster. I measured success in comparative and competitive terms. It was as if I had forgotten all of the other aspects of running, like playing, transportation, or being outside with friends. This is not surprising given the emphasis placed on individual productivity in Western culture, including higher education.
Distance running requires learning how to deal with being uncomfortable for sustained periods of time. Cultivating this kind of stamina does not happen by accident. It requires making deliberate decisions to cultivate habits of mind and body. There is wisdom in this, especially for White cisgendered educators like myself. We need to develop praxes that help us get comfortable being uncomfortable in educational space. Toward this end, I offer three praxes for educators based upon distance running. While my remarks are directed toward White cisgendered educators, others may find them useful.
Running requires patience. There can be miles of mind-numbing boredom, which quickly turn into self-doubt, self-criticism, or anxiety. Running can also be physically uncomfortable. I am amazed at how relaxed the bodies of elite runners are when they are running at top speeds. Holding unnecessary tension in the body takes energy away from the task at hand. Therefore, the trick to distance running for me has been to train my body how to recover while running, to slow down and relax. One strategy I use is mindful breathing. Breathing exercises not only calm the mind, but they also initiate physiological responses that help the body relax, bringing more air into the lungs and lowering the blood pressure.2
A key aspect of showing up as an educator is being conscious of how identity shapes our interactions with others. Our interactions with others disclose who we are to ourselves and to others. They provide us with important information about our core beliefs, insecurities, and the ways in which we have appropriated cultural norms. White, cisgendered people tend to ignore this fact and focus on external attributes when interpreting situations. In the example above, I was frustrated and freezing cold. I projected my feelings of discomfort onto the leaders of the running group without knowing what was going on in their own lives. In retrospect, most people ran in silence for the first few miles. Perhaps the pace was too fast for them as well. Had I taken the time to reflect on the situation or gotten to know the other runners, the outcome could have been different. Instead, I quit before the work had even begun.
Watching the latest vlogs, listening to podcasts, downloading training programs, or running a certain pace may guide and inform my training, it does not make me a runner. I am runner because I lace up my sneakers, step out the front door, and run. As an educator, you have what you need to begin and you are not alone. The real question is: when are going to lace up your sneakers and step out the front door?
The former candidate is still processing a lot and reminded the audience that, while a lot has happened, it has only been a few weeks since he dropped out of the race. For more insights and reflections from former candidates, members of the media, and political operatives, follow @GUPolitics on social media.
The euphoria of reaching our finish line reminds us that the journey is the reward. Whether passing sun-capped volcanos, running alongside the Ancient Inca Trail, or gazing upon the brilliant night sky, we realize that our path to the starting gun prepared us for the obstacles ahead.
On Oct. 24, 2021, like in years before, the writers of The Michigan Daily Arts stretched out their hammies to participate in a grueling challenge of mental fortitude and physical fitness: the Probility Ann Arbor Marathon. A little pretentious, a little weird, Daily Arts had a writer running the half-marathon and two relay teams: A-Side and B-side (a reference to the special themed B-Sides that Arts publishes bi-weekly). Read the initial race impressions from our 2021 runners here. Additionally, you can read reflections from A-Side runners here.
After finally running the race I was supposed to run a year and a half ago, with a pandemic and a less-than-exciting-but-somehow-still-satisfying senior year behind me, I have found myself in an oddly reflective mood.
Let me start off by saying that I am not a runner, I just pretend to be one in real life. I like to get exercise and do my best to stay in some sort of shape. Running is the easiest because you can basically do it anywhere. I am a walk/run kinda girl in that I walk some, I run some. I don't have a lot of endurance, so I figure that is the easiest. Anyway, enough about my running technique and lack of skills.
The one thing I love about running is there are tons of "fun" runs to get you motivated. Every city has themed runs these days. There are nationwide events like the Hot Chocolate run in which the whole run is based on a chocolate theme. There are cancer run/walks for all different types of cancer. And, there are sports-themed runs. All of these usually get me going. At least they motivate me to get out and practice. Then the run itself is fun with a big crowd to run with.
Today I did the annual Big 10 conference 10K in Chicago. It might be my favorite. It kicks off the conference football season and it is a way for everyone to get together and celebrate their schools, rivalries and just have fun. I've done it for years. It was my first big accomplishment in the running field after I finished my cancer treatment and started feeling like me again. I guess every year it is nice reminder that I am still alive and feeling well enough to run.
I mention all of the above about my running skills because I find this 10K awesome and horrible all the same. For starters, it's a 10K which means six miles. Yikes for me. And second, it's always in the heart of summer in Chicago so yes, it is hot. Anyway, as I was miles deep in the run, I started having all these negative thoughts about how hot I was, how tired I was and how I would never finish. I was getting so crabby and defeated. That's not the way to complete a race, let alone anything. I needed a way to get out of my negative thoughts. Then I started the cancer motivation. What's that you ask? Well, it's my way of telling myself that I have been through so much worse than a silly 10K run. I made it through a bilateral mastectomy. I made it through four rounds of cancer. I can run today.
Then I started thinking about all those cancer patients that are currently knee-deep in surgeries and treatments that can't run right now. Wouldn't they rather be doing this 10K by my side then sitting in the chemo chair? That's an easy yes. I know I felt that way when I was too exhausted from chemo. I wished I could have run a marathon at that point. I was thinking of my friends and acquaintances that I met during my cancer journey who's journey didn't go as far as mine and are not here today to run with me. That stopped the complaint thoughts right in their tracks. They would want to run this 10K today. I would want them to be running with me today. I can run today.
By the last mile of the run, when I was exhausted, hot and sweaty, my negative thoughts were long gone. My joy of surviving cancer was the thought that was in my head at that point. Each step was a reminder that I am still here. Each breath was a reminder that, at least for today, I am surviving. I was out and about with 10,000 other runners, celebrating a gorgeous day in a beautiful city. We were running, representing our alma maters and just enjoying today. I had a huge smile on my face as I huffed and I puffed my way through that last mile and crossed the finish line with my arms raised. I did it for them. I did it for me. I did it for the future survivors. It's a little thing but it's a big deal. I am a cancer survivor today, so I need to remember that as I cross these race finish lines and remind myself of the life in each breath instead of the annoyance of a few miles of a 10K run.
The Dashing Whippets Running Team is a New York based running team that is founded on, and driven by, the diversity of our team members. With team members from all over the city, the country and the world, and with greatly different running goals, we find unity in recognizing and appreciating each others differences and our mutual enjoyment of running and participating in the New York running community and beyond. 2ff7e9595c
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