A meditation practice will elevate your running performance, reduce injury, and improve your life.
Mediation is on trend right now.
Yoga International defines Meditation as:
“A precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state. It is the means for fathoming all the levels of ourselves and finally experiencing the center of consciousness within.”
Pretty fluffy, right?!
To make it simple, meditation is sitting down and doing nothing. Seems easy, but it’s scary.
It’s also spending time with your thoughts. ALSO scary.
But, the process will help you quiet your mind to get in touch with your subconscious, which will benefit everyone.
Running is not meditation
Running has many benefits including increased memory, decreased stress, and cognitive longevity.
But, running and meditation have separate benefits.
- Runners experience a semi-dream state. Creating ideas and daydreams with every step. You are also releasing hormonal “feel goods” to soak up.
- Meditation is about quieting the thoughts that enter your mind. Your conscious mind is overactive and it can cover your subconscious thoughts.
Meditation helps you understand the present state. You’ll learn how you feel and why your actions reflect your feelings.
Both running and meditation will make your day better.
But, mediation can have a direct benefit to your running.
So, if you are not sold on the benefits of meditation for your life then do it for your running.
- You will build a positive mind for positive results
- You can improve your running form
- Reduce running injuries
How Meditation Helps Your Running
Positive Mind = Positive Results
Meditation is practice. Consider it part of your training.
But, You may think:
“I can’t meditate.”
“My mind never stops racing.”
This is a lousy excuse. Every person has a wandering mind. So, you need to practice control through meditation.
The practice of controlling your thoughts is like any other piece of training.
- To run fast, you do speed work.
- To build strength, you do squats.
- To create a mental edge, you meditate.
Eliminate negative feelings
Running a race is about how well you can hold it together upstairs. A negative thought will convince you to slow.
Negative thoughts are more common than positive thoughts. It is part of our survival instinct.
“For survival’s sake, our rational, thinking mind is wired with a bias for negativity. It must decide and act on life-threatening influences daily, and it is conditioned to be pessimistic and scared as a result of the barrage of negative influences.”
Basically, we evolved to feel fear to not be eaten by bears.
Your mind flags running as a dire circumstance. So, your brain will shut you down. Mediation will teach you that “a thought is only a thought”. Allow negative ideas to come and go and replace them with a positive mantra. Cultivating Positive thoughts takes effort. Meditation will help you practice.
Flip your thoughts
During a hard run you might think:
“I’m dying.”
“This is too fast.”
“I just want to stop.”
Do not believe these thoughts. Take a second to recognize that your negativity. Then “flip” your thoughts to something positive.
A mantra will help.
Mantra example:
“I feel smooth and light.”
“I got this all day!”
“This feels easy.”
It sounds corny. But, it works!
**additional mantra tip**
Speaking to yourself in the third person can have a great effect on your mental state. Instead of saying, “I feel great.” say “you feel great” It is easier to receive the message. It’s hard to believe “I feel great” when you might feel like hot garbage.
Next Level Shit
Speak your mantras through the voice of someone else. Imagine your parents, spouse, or mentor giving encouragement when things are hard.
Hear their voice and picture their face. You will feel an amazing lift.
I use my Mom, Dad, and Brother saying:
“We are proud of you, Rich.”
“You are doing great, Richie.”
“Go, Rich!”
Trust me. It works.
In fact, stop, right now, and visualize someone cheering for you. It can be anyone. Your spouse, Tony Robbins, Batman, whoever you want!
Keep this image in your back pocket for a hard workout or race.
Improve your running form with mindfulness
Poor running form is the cause of many injuries. And unfortunately, runners rarely consider it.
Mindfulness will bring attention to your body and your running form.
Each mile, take one to two minutes to focus on your breath, body, and running form.
After a few weeks, your running form will become second nature.
Learn your “risk areas.” and avoid injury
During mediation, you will practice a “body scan.“ A body scan will allow you to focus on each body part. As runners, we tend to push through tightness and pain. We may not know we have a risk of injury until it’s too late.
Meditation can highlight problems and allow you to create a recovery and mobility plan.
How to start meditating.
There are several apps for mediation. The most popular and my personal favorite is “Headspace.” It is free for a week, so try it.
Insight Timer is a resource for users with a bit more experience. It has several free guided meditations and a timer to help you track your silent meditation.
There are thousands of free meditations on youtube. Type “guided meditation” and pick the one that speaks to you. There is no “best” meditation.
Meditation has too many benefits not to explore. Nothing bad will happen. I promise! Reap the rewards in your day to day and in your running life.
