Runner’s Mindfulness

 by Phoebe Clark

(image by Cameron Venti) 

I have been running sporadically since two or three years ago, but over lockdown I got really into it and went out every other day, as there was not much else to do and I needed a break from my house and my desk. I started going further and further and pushing myself in a way I've never really done before. I think that this almost constant challenge and the self-motivation, as well breathing fresh air, is what saved my mental health during an unstable time with so many uncertainties. This was something I had total control over and could see progress quickly, as well as completely changing my body, confidence and discovering areas and paths around me that I wouldn't have found anyway else. As well as this, I was practising yoga and meditation daily, which I have been doing for some time, which gave me stability and an effective coping technique for stress, which have already been invaluable during sixth form and life after lockdown. 

I have been keeping up with running, but have had to resort to only weekends, as it gets dark very early, and I don’t have the time after school. Then, the other day I was running and had many breakthroughs in terms of my art project, future poem ideas and essay topics. This made me realise how much I think about during these many hours spent running and that I should incorporate my mindfulness techniques into my running. This sounds ludicrous and slightly paradoxical I know, but when I run I try to switch off a bit if I have a lot to think about and just blast music through my airpods. So, I decided to try out my new idea on my longest run to date, a half marathon around Portsea Island. I still listened to my music, but I concentrated on my breathing, a prominent meditation technique, and wrote down on my phone when I saw anything that made me happy or made me smile. Not only did this mean I have a list of things to make me happy, but it forced me to pay attention to my surroundings much more, something that is so simple yet is so easy to forget about when you are focused on your path and how far you have to go. 

So here are some of the things that I noted down on my run, that I think might make you chuckle, because some of them definitely made me giggle:

A sausage dog with a christmas elf coat on, 

The way the sun shone on the boats in the harbour, 

I saw my friend Becky out on a walk with her family, 

An old man going swimming in the sea in speedos and a bright pink swimming cap and googles, 

A swimmer coming out that had a stump and then he put his prosthetic leg on with his friend, 

A garden filled with roses of all colours (at this time of year?!), 

A dog that kept running after me, meaning that its’ owner had to pursue it, 

An old man that said I was doing great and smiled at me. 

In conclusion, it was a great exercise (while exercising) that gave me encouragement and helped me stay present. I also have a theory that it made the run go much quicker because I never really thought about how far I had left to go. Any fellow runners that want a rewarding challenge, I would definitely recommend this idea, and encourage you to tell someone else all the happy and funny things you notice to give them some joy.