To Race or Not to Race? THAT is the question.....

My Australian confinement is coming to an end this week and the back of my left knee is an unusual souvenir; a white tailed spider bite. Well, technically Incey Wincey bit me four times. I think it is karma for when I lived in the UK and secretly laughed at the people who couldn't hack visiting Australia because of all the “dangerous” animals. I lived, for the most part, in Australia for 17 years without a deadly spider, snake, jellyfish or shark incident. Ironically as a “tourist” I get the experience. The spider bite itself is not too bad, just like a particularly bad bee or wasp sting. But my left knee has become incredibly stiff and sore, at the worst extending to my hip joint. Evidently my running has come to a stand still.

I have taken this opportunity to reflect and re-evaluate. December I ran every day. January I did an hour and half of yoga everyday. February I did whatever I felt like until I became little Miss Muffet. One of the obstacles I am struggling with is my sense of achievement as a runner has different criteria to the status quo. Quite often I get asked, “How far did you run? How fast? It is how a runner asks “How are you?” At first I was embarrassed because I guess a “runner” would be able to answer these question. Now I just find it extremely irritating, because the people who are genuinely interested in my running journey know nothing is more demotivating to me than a discussion about speed, distance and pace.

There is a reason to my madness at why I have shunned the usual running paraphernalia. Quite early on I observed that people who run with this intention get all the gear (don't forget the fancy watch!) spend a good chunk of time fine tuning their ipod running play list, bore us all with updating their Facebook status with their running distances and times and then before you know it justify to everyone else why they are “too busy to run” The runner's equivalent to what Buddhists refer to as the “monkey mind”. The “real” runners who inspire me barely ever mention their running stats. Occasionally as they are gearing up to an important race they start following a training program but for the vast majority of their runs they simply run.

Simply running is not easy for a non runner. Instead of training sessions I think of my run as a gift to myself and to those I love. Instead of pace, I clearly state my sankalpha (intention) for the run. Rather than speed I focus on the state of my mind; how I feel before and after my run. I meditate on any changes that occurred while concentrating on my breath or grooving with a mantra. I aim to always finish my running practise with gratitude for whatever is important to me at the time. More relevant running statistics to me but the problem is they are not quantifiable, therefore mostly uninteresting to anyone other than myself. How does this attitude transfer into a racing environment?

In some ways I think I should race. I have this lofty idea of running a marathon one day and racing is the road of expectation. It's a bit like life where ideally there is a set pattern people expect you to follow; boy meets girl, engagement, wedding, baby. But not all lives run to this script and yet still manage a happy ending. A runner is expected to do 5km, 10km, Half Marathon, Marathon all within an allotted time frame following whatever running program is in vogue. But aren't there more ways than one to win a race? Does racing really matter? Back to my curds and whey.

Why running, reading and writing this blog is important.

Maybe I should have thought this through better, or shared it, before I begun but sometimes it is more interesting to let an intention to develop and bloom on it's own...... Toni Morrison, the author of Beloved said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” It is from this that the Running with Spirit blog was conceived. I have yet to find a non runner who is chronicling consistenly their running journey from a spiritual perspective and utilizing a vast range of techniques. Occasionally I come across the odd article, post or one off book, but it is never comprehensive enough for me and I am ravenous for more. If anyone does come across one please share and let us know.

I am starting to suspect this lack of information is self awareness. Runners are everywhere and they know they are running, whipping out their pacing, distances and personal best times at any given opportunity. But what they do not know is that their running practise is profound and crosses boundaries into something higher and more purposeful. Actually, some of them are aware but fearful to use spiritual language. A perfect example is of the cult running best seller book, “Born to Run” by Christopher MacDougall's quote:

"I knew aerobic exercise was a powerful antidepressant, but I hadn't realized it could be so profoundly mood stabilizing and—I hate to use the word—meditative"

At least he was aware that running produces a meditative state naturally, but why is that wrong? Why does that have to be something to be fearful of? Isn't this something exciting? Something to explore? I strongly encourage you to read his book. It is so well written, inspiring and descriptive. I would even go as far to say the best book I have read in the past five years, even if I was not interested in running. But he would not need to be as descriptive if he just used the words mindfulness, meditation, spirit, silence, resolution, prayer,  mantras.....

This is why it was so hard for me to find a blog like this to read and why I felt compelled to write it. And why I am so thankful and blessed for your interest and support. We are a small, loyal, passionate and brave bunch scattered all over the world. We are that colourful, cosy, glowing intersection of a Venn diagram. The heart of the spirit and the beat of the run.

Ujjayi Breathing Update.

Quick update for anyone who is also trialling using ujjayi breathing techniques when running. I've noticed that I have been getting more stitches since I started focusing on this breath and be interesting to know if anyone else has similar experiences. I do not know if it is a combination of the bandhas at the same time. Ujjayi breathing generates heat so maybe best to initiate this before I begin the run before my sankalpa, or my running resolve. I now only use ujjayi breathing if I feel I am losing my focus and it is proving effective.

Astangya Run

Every weekday for the past month I have been getting up at 5am for a beginner intensive astanga yoga course. This is the second time I have done a beginner astanga, the first time over 15 years ago. After the disaster which was Marcothon, I really wanted to reconnect with my body and take a bit of a break from running. The podiatrist I saw said that a good runner needs strength and I think Astangya yoga is the best way to get it. I really need to work on my “core” muscles, having had two c-sections and two abdominal surgery my core is non existent, although to be fair it wasn't really anything there to begin with.

Astangya yoga is very different to other types of yoga. It is the difference between a leisurely stroll and a marathon. It is not that it is a “better” type of yoga it just has a different focus. Astanga is about endurance, discipline and dedication. Astangya yoga practitioners focus on tristana which comprise of three elements; breath (ujjayi), gaze point (drishti) and postures (asanas / bandhas). Lately I have been trialling tristana in my runs.

UJJAYI

Simply breath is life. The moment you are born you take your first breath, when you die is your last. Everything else in between is life. My first astangya yoga teacher, Tom, was extremely strict and would be mortified if we breathed through our mouths. “A mouth is for eating and a nose is for breathing – nothing else!” Tom was really hard on everyone but especially himself. But he did make a point. A nose is designed to filter the air, making each breath as pure as possible. The ujjayi breath is a yogic technique that is sometimes referred to ocean breathing because it sounds similar to waves. Try making your breathing as noisy as possible, as if you wanted someone to hear every inhalation and exhalation; constrict your throat and that is ujjayi breathing. It is proven to increase oxygenation. Newborn babies instinctively use the ujjayi breath. When running I try to breathe only through my nose and although I do not use ujjayi breathe the whole run I find it guides my focus and energy back.

DRISHTI

When I started running I actually wrote a post about not knowing where to “look” when I run. Every single astangya yoga has a specific drishti or gaze point, which aids in the focus, concentration and alignment of the posture. The power of the drishti point becomes apparent during balancing poses. Having experimented with a few drishti points (there are nine in total) I have found gazing softly just beyond the tip of my nose the most effective drishti while running. I find my focus is better and I can reach a meditative state quicker, and find my way back to that state more easily if distracted when I use this drishti.

BANDHA

A direct translation of a bandha is “lock”. Utilizing bandhas means you are optimizing the energy flow in your body while regulating your heart rate and building core strength. B.K.S. Iyenger in Light on Pranayama says, “an electric motor burns out if its voltage is allowed to rise too high. When electricity is generated, it is necessary to have transformers, conductors, fuses, switches and insulated wires to carry the power to its destination; otherwise the current would be lethal.” There are three bandhas; mula bandha, uddiyana bandha and jalandhara bandha. I have tried running with combinations of them and have found mula and uddiyana bandha the best combination. I think jalandhara bandha is more effective in passive poses. If you have ever had to stop peeing midstream and hold it, you are essentially engaging your mula bandha. Although if you were doing it more consciously you would squeeze all the surrounding muscles around your bottom too. Uddiyana bandha is when you attempt to get your belly button to touch your spine. I find it extremely challenging to run and engage my bandhas at the same time but I do feel it makes a difference. I feel lighter and stronger. I can run further effortlessly.

I feel using tristana in my running has been immensely beneficial and I am eager to incorporate more. Please share your experiences with any of the tristana elements while running or if there are any other techniques that you use. When all three elements of tristana come together they same your body becomes a temple.